Watch: West Ham 4 - 0 Manchester United Goals & Reaction

Watch 1st Goal

Watch 2nd Goal

Watch 3rd Goal

Watch 4th Goal

Manchester United crashed out of the Carling Cup in an embarrassing defeat to West Ham, 4 - 0. Read Match Review Here

The West Ham manager, as you can imagine was delighted with his teams performance which pushed West Ham into he semi-finals of the cup:

"Today we played fantastic and also scored and we kept a clean sheet. So I'm very happy. I thought we could win, but not by that score.

"It's very special. To perform like this against the best team today in the country and score four goals, what more can I ask?"

Sir Alex Ferguson on the the hand was not so pleased:

"(There were) too many younger players making errors and giving away goals," he added.

"They can't give away goals like that, even though they're young."

Read my match review here: http://bit.ly/gTO88t

And Watch the Goals Here

West Ham 4 - 0 Man United - United Humiliated in Cup Quarters

West Ham cruised to a 4 - 0 win against a petty excuse of a Manchester United team. That is something you don't hear very often, but the Carling Cup quarter final showed that Sir Alex Ferguson had massively underestimated the London club.

It was a clash between the top and bottom teams in the Premier League, but by this performance, you wouldn't think that United were the team unbeaten this season and sitting proudly at the top. Their defense was an absolute shambles, their midfield created nothing, and the attack had nothing to work with. It was atrocious. West Ham completely outplayed United in the snow, as the visiting players seemed to take a break in their job as footballers, wondering aimlessly around the pitch, watching Avram Grants side control the game around them.

Jonathon Spector of all people - the former Manchester United defender scored two of the goals for the Hammers, both in the first half, and Carlton Cole scored the other two in the second half.

Victor Obinna of West Ham had a great game - a big threat to United throughout; being the source of most of the chances created. It was a player like this that Ferguson's side were missing. Johnny Evans had a bad game, and he knows it. He was turned too easily for Cole's goal, while the defence in general fell asleep for numerous West Ham attacks.

In truth, after the second goal went in, there wasn't really any way back for United. Sir Alex had no one on his bench who could come on and make an impact. No Rooney, no Berbatov, no Nani. the Scot had no options that he knew could change the game.

We all make mistakes, and Sir Alex made one today. Of course, no one could have expected that his team would perform so poorly, but he should have had one or two top players on the bench that he could rely on to create something if it came it. In the end, it did come to it, and Ferguson wasn't prepared.

West Ham have breezed passed the holders of the competition with ease, and humiliated the young United team in the process. Before the game United were unbeaten in all competitions this season. That record is shattered in pieces as the Red Devils travel to Blackpool on the weekend, but it is a huge confidence boost for the struggling Hammers who travel to Sunderland on Sunday on the back of a brilliant 4 - 0 win.

Arsenal the Latest Club to be Linked to Benzema

Karim Benzema has hardly set La Liga on fire since his £35 million 2009 move to Real Madrid. Players like Ronaldo and Higuain have been the main starters up front for the Spanish club, and the Frenchman has naturally been linked to a move away from the Bernabau as his frustration by lack of games has caused him to turn his head in search of new options.

Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson have been well known admirers of Benzema, but lost out in the summer 2009 race for his signature. It was also rumoured that Ferguon was preparing to swap Berbatov with Benzema. Unlikely as it was at the time, it is now even more unlikely after Berbatov almost made history with 5 goals in one game against Blackburn on Saturday.

Tottenham too have recently been linked to him. Since their soar to success in the Champions League, Tottenhams options for players has been broadly widened as they now have the attraction of European football. Yet despite manager Harry Redknapp stating that he liked the player, he said:

"certainly we haven’t made any enquires at all for him".

Aston Villa under their new French manager Gerard Houlier - the manager who has already brought one Frenchman back to the Premier League in Robert Pires is now reportedly interested in bringing in Benzema.

Meanwhile, Houllier's former club Liverpool, in need of a striker to partner Torres have been advised by Jamie Redknapp to snap up the former Lyon striker. His opinion may not mean much, in fact it means next to nothing in terms of Liverpool football club, but he said:

“Liverpool need a striker and they should look no further than Karim Benzema.

“The new Anfield owners have their first challenge: sign him.” 

Arsenal are now said to be prepared to smash their record transfer fee to buy Benzema for £25 million. Persistent injuries to important attackers such as Robin Van persie and Theo Walcott among others, as well as Nicklas Bendter's similar situation to Benzema - in his lack of game time, has apparently caused Wenger to feel the need to build on his attacking options.

Benzema is obviously doing something right to have all of these clubs after him. They are not just any old club either, these are some of the top Premier League clubs. But does the fact that a man who cannot get into a top Spanish team, but could get into any one of five top English teams simply exaggerate the fact that the Spanish League's quality is higher than the English? Maybe, but there is no arguing that the Barclays Premier League is still the most exciting in the world.

Watch: Manchester United 7 - 1 Blackburn [Video Goals]

Watch the goals Here

Scoring drought? Not any more. Berbatov scored 5 goals for Manchester United in a game that the now League leaders cruised to a 7 - 1 win. Luis Nani and Ji Sung Park scored the two other goals, but Berbatov claimed the match ball. The Bulgarian may even have been disappointed. Disappointed that he didn't grab six - a double hat-trick and put his name in the record books for the first double hat-trick in the Premier League.

"It was a fantastic achievement," said Ferguson.

"He could have scored six too because Paul Robinson made a fantastic save near the end.

"When strikers are not scoring they don't think they are doing their job right. That has always been the case. Today it came back."

Watch the Goals Here

To see the other Premier League Results Click http://bit.ly/ejw1Bk

Berbatov Grabs 5 in 36 Goal-Packed Premier League Saturday

A record breaking Premier League Saturday - wonder goals were scored, penalties were saved, red cards were brandished and 36 goals rippled the net. It was quite unbelievable.

The early kick off saw Arsenal defeat Aston Villa and the golden oldie and returning Arsenal legend Robert Pires by four goals to two. Arshavin and Nasri lifted Arsenal to a two goal lead in the first half, while Ciaran Clark scored to revive some hope before Marouane Chamakh scored 4 minutes later. Clark then scored again to raise Villa hopes again, but Jack Wilshere finished the game in the 90th minute to temporarily put Arsenal top.
They were probably hoping Blackburn would give United a good fight. If they were, they would havebeen bitterly disappointed. http://bit.ly/hxBxSi (Goals)

Manchester United grabbed 7 goals in a 7 - 1 win against Blackburn in which Dimitar Berbatov - the guy who hadn't scored since his hat-trick against Liverpool, and was said to be preparing to be sold by United in the summer - scored 5 goals. Luis Nani and Ji Sung Park scored the others, but Berbatov grabbed the match ball in delight (or his composed version of it) at the end of the game in a match that shoots his goal tally up to 11 for the season and fires Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League with a dramatically increased goal difference. (Goals) http://bit.ly/hxBxSi

Carlos Tevez announced once again that he was unhappy playing football, but Manchester City hoped to put this aside and roll over Stoke City at the Brittania. They almost won too, as Micah Richards scored from 12 yards out inthe 81st minute. But Matthew Etherington slotted home after a nice move in the ninetirth minute to crush City's hopes and squeeze a point from the game.

The other results today included a win from West Ham against relegation rivals Wigan for a precious three points, a Bolton comeback from two goals down against Blackpool, a Wolves - Sunderland thriller where Ebanks-Blake scored in the 89th minute to take the three points, and a Fulham - Birmingham draw. 2 red cards and 5 goals in the match between Everton and West Brom saw the Toffees lose their cool, and lose Arteta in a 58 minute stamp on Jara.

The full list of results are as follows:

Aston Villa 2 - 4 Arsenal

Bolton 2 - 2 Blackpool

Manchester United 7 - 1 Blackburn

Everton 1 - 4 West Brom

Fulham 1 - 1 Birmingham

Stoke 1 - 1 Manchester City

West Ham 3 - 1 Wigan

Wolves 3 - 2 Sunderland

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey Joins Nottingham Forest

Pic: Ramsey is on a one month loan deal

The young Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has joined Nottingham Forest on a loan deal lasting until the 3rd January 2011.

It is hoped that the more games the 19 year old gets, the more match fit he will become as he admitted that he is a bit behind in his fitness levels compared to his team mates after his first competitive match for Arsenal since he broke his leg 9 months ago.

"I'm as fit as all the rest of the lads but [playing in a competitive game] proved I am a bit behind"

An Arsenal statement said:

"Everyone at Arsenal Football Club wishes Aaron the best of luck during his time with Nottingham Forest and we all look forward to seeing him once again in an Arsenal shirt in the New Year."

The Welshman made 29 appearances in all competitions last season for Arsenal before his injury, scoring four times. Ramsey had planned on staying at Arsenal and fighting for his place in the first team, but if anyone knows how to nurture a young player it is Wenger, and sending him on loan will increase his confidence with the ball on the pitch as well as improving his fitness.

A broken leg doesn't just damage a player physically; there are obviously mental barriers to get through and it takes a strong minded character to get through them. Time will tell whether Ramsey will ever be as good a player as was hoped before his injury, but there is no doubt that he has the ability that got him noticed at Cardiff.

Rangers 0 - 1 Man United: Rooney Scores Winner as United Stay Top

As Wayne Rooney ran with clenched fists screaming and moving his head wildly towards the Manchester United fans, you could be forgiven for thinking that he was about to knock every one of the boo boys out in a massive punch up. He had actually just scored the winner for Manchester United against Rangers in the Champions League, and he was positively animated, overjoyed, and most probably relieved that he had scored a goal at last.

(WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE GOAL BELOW)

For the most part, Rooney looked so much better than previous performances this season. He had a couple of tough chances that the Rooney of last season may have taken, but after the summer he had, he is still climbing back up the ladder to get to that prolific stage once again.

Rangers didn't look at all like a team that wanted to win the game. They needed to win, but their extremely negative tactics of about five defenders and one striker restricted them to only around 5 minutes of the whole match outside of their own half. They were dominated by a controlling but wasteful Manchester United, who admittedly didn't create a massive amount of chances.

Rangers brought on James Beattie - another striker - just after Rooney had scored, and with little chance of getting anything from the game just whithered away, accepting their Europa League spot.
Valencia had beaten Bursaspor 6 - 1 and so Rangers needed to win. Nobody must have told them that though.

Manchester United ended up being too much for the Scottish team, and stayed at the top of their Champions League table with a point against their next opponents and closest rivals Valencia, guaranteeing them top spot.

Hopefully for Manchester United and Wayne Rooney, the striker can now get back on track in the Premier League with goals galore. It might take a little while longer for him to get back into top form, but he will get there - and if his estatic celebration was anything to go by, his commitment to United is not in any doubt.

Braga 2 - 0 Arsenal - Watch Goals - Fabregas & Eboue Injured

Watch the goals on the links below.

Braga First Goal

Braga Second Goal

Tempers were running high after the game, with Arsenal furious with the referees decision not to give a penalty to Arsenal, which could have changed the game in Arsenals favour. Carlos Vela was booked for a dive when he was clearly brought down, but this cannot mask the poor perfomance from the London side.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas was brought off in the 69th minute and Wenger said:

"Fabregas has a hamstring injury so it's difficult to predict how long he will be out for. But he will definitely be out for the weekend."

While Emmanuel Eboue was also added to the injury list after a nasty challenge on him from behind. Wenger said:

"Eboue will be out for a few weeks because he took a very bad tackle, unpunished. It is a medial knee ligament injury."

Wenger wasn't finished there however. He went on to claim his team are in an unlucky period of their season which will pass while he critisized UEFA's additional officials and branded the system "useless".

"We are going through a period where we have bad luck, we had Eboue kicked off the park without any punishment and we also had the penalty turned down.

"What was the fifth official doing? We have another proof that it is absolutely useless, this system.

"Then when we were 10 against 11, we made a mistake at the back, there was a minimum of communication and that's where we were punished."

"[Not having qualfied yet] is a concern, but we'll make it."

Defender Johan Djourou added:

"It's very hard to take."

The two goals came late on in the game - both in counter attacks from Braga in which Arsenal were left short at the back. Clinical finishing played a big part as you can see above, but Arsenal really should have been looking for a simple win against the Portugese club.

There will be calls again for Wengers reign to be over at Arsenal; extremist views, but views which are becoming more understandable as the dissapointing results keep coming in. It is hard to take for the patient Arsenal fans everywhere, but Wenger knows this. The bad results may be a wake-up call - a call that will alert Wenger to the need for improvements to his squad; a new goalkeeper? Stronger defenders? Or maybe it is simply a physcological problem.

Arsenal have good quality players, and they have a manager widely regarded as a football genius. It is odd then that they have so many weaknesses, or rather such a large single weakness.

Redknapp Rules out Benzema Move but Players Must be Sold

A January transfer move for Karim Benzema has been ruled out by Harry Redknapp, while he also said that he will have to sell some of his players in order to purchase any improvements for his squad.

When asked about a possible move for the Frenchman, Redknapp said:

“There’s nothing in that,"

"He’s a good player, I like him, he looks a real talent. But certainly we haven’t made any enquires at all for him. There’s definitely nothing going on there at the moment."

“Before we can bring anyone in, I’ve spoke with the chairman, we need to shift one or two.

"It’s going to be a case of the only way we can do any business would be to let one or two go and whatever we get in we can go and invest.”

He hasn't ruled a move completely; by saying there is "nothing going on there at the moment" he was hinting that a move for him could be a possibility - maybe in the summer. Redknapp knows that Benzema would be cup tied in the Champions League, having played for Real Madrid, and as a competition that Tottenham are aspiring to do well in, they need their big name players. Benzema would be one of them.

If Tottenham were to invest in a new striker in January, they would most probably look closer to home, at a lower Pemier League team. Andy Carroll of Newcastle has been tipped as a possibility.

As for these players that Redknapp will have to let go, and Croatian play maker Niko Kranjcar has been rumoured to want out of White Hart Lane, seeking first team football. Liverpool were rumoured to be interestd for £7 million, while Italians Juventus are also interested.

After guiding his team to an inspired comeback against rivals Arsenal at the week end, Harry Redknapp is leading Tottenham in the right direction. He believes that his team can win the title this year, and the addition of top players that a Champions League team that they now are can attract, Tottenham are looking good for the future.

Arsenal and Chelsea to Battle for English Defender

John Terry's injury has left Chelsea short on defenders, and therefore shaky at the back - the two consecutive losses to Sunderland and Birmingham emphasised their problems, and they will be looking to the January transfer market to bring in a replacement defender.

Arsenal do not have as bad a problem as Chelsea in terms of defenders; they can fill their back line without too many problems. However, losing a game in which you were two goals ahead doesn't exactly inspire confidence in fans critically observing the Arsenal defenders.

The solution? Gary Cahill of Bolton. The 24 year old has recently been called up to England duty, and has played an important role in the current success of his team. The chairman of Bolton has of course noted this, done some calculations and come up with a figure of around £15 million. That figure is what any possible suitors for the Bolton defender will have to pay, and Phil Gartside the chairman will have to accept due to crippling debt. He said:

“If a Champions League team knocks on our door in January that’s the best time to sell an asset because Champions League teams will pay the money”.

"Owners should be allowed to invest in equity. So if you, as an owner, want to buy a striker for £10m that shouldn't be a problem. But what you then can't do is pay him extortionate wages that take you out of the break-even situation. We are carrying too many on the wage bill."

With debts reportedly close to £100 million, it is imperative for Bolton to rake substantial amounts back into the club, and with Arsenal and Chelsea waiting in the wings, the trotters will be forced to sell. Gary Cahill himself may also be looking for a way out to a bigger club where he can challenge for trophies, and as an up and coming England star, a bigger club is a bigger stage to show off his talents.

Arsene Wenger doesn't want to live through the nightmare of the 2 - 3 home defeat to Tottenham, and Ancelotti will not want to get used to losing to mid table clubs, so it seems that Bolton's admission that their top players will have to be sold opens the door to any offers from the two clubs fighting for the title.

Arsenal 2 - 3 Tottenham - Redknapp: We can win the Title

Arsene Wenger watched his team throw away a two goal lead against arch rivals Tottenham at the Emirates, and was it is fair to say he was absolutely furious - Pat Rice next to him must have been fearing for his own safety as Wenger threw a bottle to the floor in a passionate show of rage.

Arsenal dominated the first half with an early nine minute goal from Nasri as he went round Gomes and from a tight angle slipped the ball in the net. Chamakh then doubled the lead with his ninth goal of the season after a cute cross from Arshavin on the left.

Harry Redknapp sent on Jermain Defoe on at half time in the hope that the game would swing on its head. It did.

A long ball played forward was met with Jermaine Defoe - beating an Arsenal defender in the air, with van der vaart running on to it. Bale made a run down the middle just to the right of van der vaart, and there was no doubt that the Dutchman would find him. Bale duly and expertly slotted the ball passed a diving Fabianski to set up the Tottenham comeback.

A free kick was awarded to Tottenham just passed he 65th minute, and as van der vaart struck the ball, two players in the wall raised their arms above their heads. These players were both Fabregas and Chamakh, and thought that protecting their faces took priority over the risk of giving away a penalty. Phil Dowd the referee had no choice but to point to the penalty spot, and who else but the trusty Dutchman van der vaart coolly sent Faianski the wrong way to slot the ball home for the equaliser.

It was all level, and Tottenham were in the ascendancy. Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny then had the opportunity to knock Totenham down from their high with a glorious chance to score from a great cross. He wasn't stretching for the ball, he was unmarked, and he was about 5 yards out with virtually the whole goal the aim for. But he is a defender. And he headed over.

In the 84th minute, Gareth Bale - the man who never seems to stop running, bursted down the right, and as the ball was fed to him, he was inevitably brought down by Koscielny. Van der vaart took the subsequent free kick, and Younes Kaboul got a minimal touch as it bounced passed Fabianski to win the game for Tottenham.

As the 4th official raised the board in the 90th minute to show five minuets of added time, the Arsenal fans, with no real belief on their faces, weakly encouraged the players to fight for an equaliser. The fans belief seemed to be mirrored by the players - mounting no real chances again, and trudged off at the end of the match knowing that they had blown the chance to go top.

Harry Redknapp said at the end of the game:

"We can beat anybody and this win today has put us right back in the race again. It is wide open.

"We can achieve anything. We have to believe. It is not impossible to win the title. Let's see how we go."

If Tottenham continue to play with this resilience and fight, not forgetting their obvious quality, this kind of result will become far more common.

Before handing the man of the match award to Bale van der vaart said:

"It's a great day for the club."

This is something that Tottenham fans will get used to hearing.

Lukaku Targeted by Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool

Romelu Lukaku has generated a lot of excitement over his abilities, and at the young age of 17, has already been compared to Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.

He has been linked with major clubs including Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Juventus and Chelsea, and now Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have been added to the list, but according to some sources, Liverpool are "in the driving seat" to sign the player.

The Belgian striker currently plays at Anderlecht, and finished last season as the Belgian Leagues top scorer - at the age of only 16 years and 10 months. Okay, so the Belgian League isn't quite the English Premier League, and the quality may not be any where near as high, but you must be pretty special to be scoring goals for fun at such a young age against players much older and experienced than you.

Rumours in the summer of 2010 suggested that Tottenham had a £17.5 million bid rejected for Lukaku, while Chelsea's Didier Drogba apparently spoke to the Belgian striker and tried to persuade him to join Chelsea.
Real Madrid admitted their interest as manager Jose Mourinho said:

'It is true we wanted Romelu, but he has a very clever dad. He wants Romelu to stay at Anderlecht for one more year. I wish all dads were like this."

While Cristiano Ronaldo was full of praise for the young man:

“He has to make his own choice but I’m sure that he will have a great career.

“At 17 when he is not playing in a major championship, he has managed to make himself known to many people like me. I think that he’s a really fantastic young player.

“I’m curious to see what he will do in the coming months or at the end of the season. But Lukaku is on track; he must continue to work this way.”

Liverpool and the other English clubs certainly have stiff opposition in the competition for the players signature on a contract from top teams from all over the world, but Chelsea seem the team who Lukaku sounds keen to join. On a school trip to Stamford Bridge, he was photographed in a Chelsea shirt and said whilst there:

"I'm very pleased to be here – unfortunately, I didn't meet Drogba. If ever one day I will cry, it will be when I sign for Chelsea."

This player is a genuine talent. Standing at over 6 foot and 3 inches and weighing in at over 14 stone, Lukaku is immensely strong for his age - out muscling the opposition regularly in tussles,while his aerial ability is described as "awesome". He is quick, clever on the ball, intelligent in positioning and has the finishing of an expert. His abilities are vast, while his age is the opposite.

It seems too good to be true.

Manchester United sign van der sar Replacement

Manchester United struggled miserably to find a replacement for Peter Schmeichel when the Dane left in 1999, and now Sir Alex Ferguson must find a replacement for the Dutch Edwin van der sar as he seems set for retirement at the age of 40. Their new £3.5 million signing of Anders Lindegaard will hopefully be a shortcut to the the route of goalkeepers that Ferguson had to take when Schmeichel left as the 26-year-old has a medical today.

Ferguson will be hoping that Lindegaard is not another van der Gouw, Bosnich, Taibi, or Ricardo, but rather a strong and reliable goalkeeper, who can be the safety net behind the defenders. Someone who will not make mistakes consistently, but who will be a calm and steady influence that a young team needs. No doubt that Ferguson has seen this player play - unlike the Bebe signing.

Manchester United goalkeeping legend Schmeichel doesn't believe that Lindegaard is good enough for his former club however.

When asked whether his compatriot Lindegaard was of sufficient quality to play for England's biggest club, h replied

 "No. We are talking about Manchester United here. You can look at talent, you can look at young good players, [but] you don't want that, you want someone who can go in straight away and give performances in 80% of the games that the number one choice goalkeeper will play for Manchester United.

"Too many goalkeepers have been through, in and out of the doors at Manchester United, and the general perception is, for this team to play well and win trophies, that position has to be [filled by] someone who is of the very, very highest quality but also the right experience."

Lindegaard won't be too pleased hearing this, as Schmeichel was the young Dane's boyhood hero. However, criticism of him should only want him to prove the critics wrong, and strive to become better. He has already uprooted the Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen as Danish number 1 after impressing at club level for Aalesunds, and will be hoping to do the same at United.

Man City's Shay Given and Adam Johnson Want Out

Money doesn't buy happiness apparently - even if you are a footballer. It has emerged that both Shay Given and Adam Johnson of Manchester City are becoming more and more frustrated by the lack of starts that they are handed, and have both threatened to leave the club if the situation doesn't change.

Johnson moved to Manchester City from Middlesbrough on 1 February 2010, and has since announced himself as one of the biggest English attacking forces from his position in the country. He was called up to the England first team and scored 2 goals against Bulgaria and Switzerland. Yet these achievements have not nailed him down a first team spot at Eastlands.

When asked if he would leave City in search of first team football, the 23 year old had this to say:

"Every footballer has to think about it when the time comes. It is still early but I definitely would consider it."

The City number 11 also described how bitterly disappointed he was to be left out against club rivals Manchester United:

"It is disappointing when you are not playing from the start in games like that. I was itching to get on. I was dying to play from the start not just come on. The manager has to make decisions but I was gutted to be left out."

Mancini is starting to choose Milner and David Silva ahead of Johnson in a 5-man midfield which supports the lone striker - usually Carlos Tevez. Many think that the young man deserves first team football as he has proved his brilliant technical ability as well as the great ability to create goals from nothing. His pace can also tear defences apart. However, Roberto Mancini is a far more defensive man than many City fans would like, and prefers to play with less emphasis on the attack, and more on defence. His 3 man defensive midfield of Barry, De Jong and Yaya Toure highlights this.

 

Shay Given knows how the left winger feels too, as the Irish goalkeeper said:

"My own personal situation isn't ideal as everyone knows and I have spoken about it in the past, so we will see what happens over the next couple of months in that respect."

"I want to be playing football and I have always said that, so hopefully something will happen in the New Year."

Arsenal may still be looking for a reliable goalkeeper and could make a move in January, despite the current good form of Lukas Fabianski, and Manchester United are still looking for an Edwin van der sar replacement, so his options are far from limited.

The rise of England number 1 Joe Hart has caused Given to feel isolated, and unable to get a fair run in the team, and having played over 350 games for Newcastle over a 12 year spell, he is not used to it.

Mancini needs to sit down with players such as Johnson and Given and make them feel wanted by the club. It is his job to do so, as it is these hard working, willing players that a team overcrowded with ludicrously over-paid players happy to take their pay cheques and sit on the bench, need.

Worst Football Miss in History? [VIDEO]

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The video above shows Qatar's Fahad Khalfan missing a golden chance to score. Never heard of him? You probably never will again after this.
The 18 year-old missed from just a yard out playing for Qatar Sports Club, a team based in Doha, Qatar in the Qatari League.

Arsenals Marouane Chamakh recently missed a sitter at Arsenal - watch HERE

Have you seen a worse miss in the Premier League?
Send a link in the comment box below!

Man United, Arsenal & Liverpool target agrees Barca Move

PSV Eindhoven have announced that Ibrahim Afellay, a reported target for some of the top Premier League clubs has agreed to sign for Barcelona.

Despite interest from Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, the talented Holland International who plays in the attacking midfield role as well as the wings is now currently negotiating personal terms with Barcelona over his proposed move to the Spanish giants.

A statement on Barcelona's website read:

 "PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona have reached an agreement on a deal to bring Ibrahim Afellay to Barca, subject to successfully settling personal terms between the player and the Catalan club over the coming weeks.

"Until the deal is finally settled, Ibrahim Afellay wishes to concentrate on the upcoming important games for PSV."

The players' agent Rob Jansen has also confirmed that personal terms are in progress but admitted that this section of the deal could take a while:

"That [agreeing personal terms] is definitely going to take some time," Jansen told Sports Promotion's official website.

"There is certainly no final agreement. When the time comes we will notify the media and the fans through our website."

If the deal is completed, as it is likely to, Afellay will join Barcelona in the January transfer window for an undisclosed fee, but one that some reports claim to be only around 2 - 4 million euros.

The talented Dutchman has played for PSV since 2003 and has scored a total of 34 goals in 154 games. After watching videos of the 24 year old, it is easy to understand why there is so much interest in the young man. It is also easy to see why he has chosen to play for Barcelona over Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, with the Spanish clubs fierce attacking force suited to Affelay's attacking play.

He is a creative player, and someone who would certainly walk into the current Liverpool side, while Manchester United - still looking for a future Paul Scholes and with a recent reliance on Nani, would welcome him to Old Trafford. Arsenal's excellent passing ability and attacking play would also suit Afellay, but the lure of playing alongside players such as Lionel Messi among others would have probably swayed his decision. Along with the rather more pleasant weather of Spain.

Gaël Clichy Move from Arsenal is a No

Rumours linking the Arsenal left back Gaël Clichy to a move away from the Emirates have been dismissed by the players agent Ivan Le Mee.

Clichy has been subject of apparent interest from both Juventus and Real Madrid - the latter also being reportedly interested in Manchester United left back Patrice Evra.

The agent said of the speculation:

"His relationship with Arsenal and Wenger are great,"

"I don't understand where all these rumours have come from. Also, his contract expires in June 2012 so it wouldn't make sense to force the issue now."

"Gael is doing very well, playing for his national team and in the Premier League he's now a certain starter. There will be time for him to go to Italy."

Clichy is an experienced and often valuable defender in Arsenal's young team. After joining Arsenal in 2003 from Cannes, Clichy has played 168 times and the 25 year old has played 17 times in all competitions this season with one assist. However, speculation is always high when top players are involved, and while Clichy comes under this category at Arsenal, he will be linked to clubs such as Juventus and Real Madrid as he is.

Jordan Henderson to Arsenal or Manchester United?

Jordan Henderson is a player in high demand. The Sunderland attacking midfielder has started the season well with his boyhood club Sunderland, and has drawn interest from a number of big Premier League clubs, as well as England manager Fabio Capello.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City are all said to be interested in the 20 year old, and the Sunderland manager understands that if an offer was submitted for Henderson, he would have to seriously consider it.

"I sincerely hope we can keep Jordan. We will try desperately. However, I am a realist: if one of the giants comes along then we're up against it. If ridiculous money is offered it will be difficult."

Manchester City of course have this "ridiculous money", but how would they fit Henderson in such an over crowded midfield? They have players similar to Henderson in Adam Johnson and David Silva, and if Henderson wants to be playing regularly, he wouldn't get it at City.

Arsenal may be looking for more young English talent for their attacking midfield position, however, they too have many players in Henderson's position.

Manchester United on the other hand don't. Their attacking midfield option is looking quite weak - the Aston Villa draw emphasised this, and United are looking for more control in the middle of the field to give the freedom to the strikers to take more chances.

Steve Bruce said:

"Only once has Fergie talked about one of my players, and that was [Antonio] Valencia, and bugger me he bought him!"

"He had spoken to me about him. 'Keep me informed' were his words, then he signed him.

"He has said the same about Jordan, but to be fair they have all asked to be kept informed.

"What has caught most of their eyes is his ability to get up and down the pitch now is huge. You looked at Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole and Cesc Fabregas, they are all great players but they can get up and down the pitch to get the mileage, and you need that in the modern game.

"He has caught the eye because he is a very good player. If you are Chelsea, Manchester United, or Liverpool, there is a 20-year-old who is playing in the Premier League week in, week out. There are not many you can look at.

"He is a Sunderland player, and a Sunderland lad and we will do our utmost to keep him but we can never stop speculation.

Whatever team Henderson joins, he may be able to give them his valuable advise on how to beat Chelsea convincingly, after a 0 - 3 away win for his Sunderland side on Sunday.

Henderson, Carroll and Jay Bothroyd are In England Squad

Fabio Capello announced his England Squad for the friendly against France. The names included a lot of young talent which the Italian coach will be hoping to create a different kind of team with a different dimension to it which will be the England of the future.

Squad:

Goalkeepers:
Ben Foster, Robert Green, Joe Hart

Defenders:
Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Kieran Gibbs, Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Chris Smalling, John Terry

Midfelders:
Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Adam Johnson, James Milner, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Ashley Young

Strikers:
Gabriel Agbonlahor, Jay Bothroyd, Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch.

Being Unbeaten Isn't Good Enough for Manchester United

6 draws in 7 away League matches for Manchester United. They have drawn more in the Premier League season than they have won. Games against Fulham, Sunderland, West Brom, Everton and Bolton, games that the title challengers should be expecting to win, they haven't.

Aston Villa on Saturday was always going to be a tough game for United, especially considering the injuries and mid-week game that ended up as a dull 0 - 0 draw which gave the Red Devils no momentum going into the week-end. The result? A draw. But only just.

Sir Alex Ferguson said of his teams performance:

"we were all over the place,"

United went behind to an Ashley Young penalty in the 72nd minute, and Albrighton doubled Villa's lead four minutes later. This season, United have found themselves in Aston Villa's position more than once; up by a couple of goals with the opposition coming back into the game. They must have learned something from their own performances, as they clawed their way back for a 2-2 draw. Macheda in the 81st and a Vidic goal in the 85th minute.

Ferguson observed:

"Another five minutes and we'd have won."

This may have have been true, but they had 95 minutes to win the game, and the team simply didn't play well enough to get the win from a good Aston Villa side. It was the last few minutes that they seemed to come to life.

United find themselves 3 points behind Chelsea with Chelsea having a game in hand. United are still unbeaten this season, but being unbeaten will not win them the title while Chelsea are still winning.

Marek Hamsik Move to Manchester United a "possibility"

Marek Hamsik has drawn attention from clubs around the world, including a few in the Premier League. Manchester United in particular are the club that are reportedly interested as Ferguson is trying to find a replacement for Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in his aging midfield. The Belgian midfielder Steven Defour has been heavily linked to Manchester United, and seems like an inevitable move in the future, but hints from Hamsik's representatives as well as himself have caused speculation as to where Hamsik will be playing next season.

His agent said:

“I don't like speaking about transfers, but I have heard there are many teams thinking of Hamsik.

“I have not heard from anyone, every step would have to go through Napoli who own the player's rights"

“However, if a club that satisfies the needs of Napoli and Hamsik presents an offer, then there could be a division. It's early to talk, but it is a possibility.”

Hamsik himself praised the English League before a game against Liverpool and said:

"I am pleased people want to see me, I want to perform well on this stage against a team like Liverpool at Anfield. I know the English league is a great league with a wonderful atmosphere and great stadia."

"There are rumours but no-one has contacted me or the club. I am calm and relaxed and just want to play well for Napoli.

While early in November the 23 year old said:

"I have to admit, it would be difficult to say no to Manchester United."

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is unlikely to move for Hamsik until the summer transfer window after claiming his side will be adding no new players to the squad in January. However, with the future of Owen Hargeaves and Michael Carrick in doubt due to persistent injuries and on/off form respectively, Ferguson is likely to be looking for a quality young midfielder in the summer.

When Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are gone, they will leave a gaping hole in the Manchester United team and Ferguson knows that this hole must be filled somehow, with the United fans' preference being good, strong playmakers of Manchester United quality.

Disappointing Derby Day - City 0 - 0 United

After all of the build up, all of the talk, and all of the excitement churning in Manchester for the Manchester derby, it turned out to be the only goal-less game in the Premier League of the day.

"Tevez can win it on his own!" roared Joe Hart, "All talk!" cried Evra, "Chelsea will win the title!" screamed Roberto Mancini. If the build up was anything to go by, this game should have been one to remember, but unfortunately, it was the opposite to that.

The match fell victim of all of the hype. Much was expected of the clash of the Manchester clubs in what was expected to be a ferocious, controversy filled night - the closest we got to that was Rafael squaring up to Carlos Tevez - entertaining for a minute, but it is good football and goals we wanted to see.

Overall, United had the most possession of the ball, 53.4% to be precise, but could do very little with it. Likewise with City, when they had the ball, the United defence were too compact, and City players were not committed forward enough to mount to any real attacking threat.

Both teams had good periods where they pressurised the opposing defence, and kept the ball for long periods, but the stats don't lie, and with United having only 3 shots on target, while City had 2, you really didn't miss much if you did happen to skip the game.

United remain unbeaten this season, but manager Sir Alex Ferguson was disappointed with the draw

"City are very difficult to beat on their own ground and obviously they set their stall out," he told Sky Sports.

"I think there was too much tension for it to be kind of match people thought it would be. They set their stall out in the second half and made it very difficult for us.

"It's a decent result but we don't count draws away from home as the target before the game. Our target is to win the game and I think we had enough possession to do that

"Some of our football was good, we were good on the ball but we needed to create openings to win the match and we only really made two which was difficult."

Roberto Mancini on the other had was just happy his team improved on last seasons result.

"I think it was a difficult game for both teams. I think the result is correct but we improved from last year because we didn't concede a goal in the last minute.

"I wanted to win this game but sometimes it is better to draw than lose. We played the game to win, though."

Manchester United and Manchester City fans' heart rate would have been ever so slightly higher watching this game, but it was nothing compared to the 4 - 3 classic at Old Trafford last season, and the tense 0 - 1 win at City last year too. However for the neutral viewer, well, it wasn't great.

£7 million Play Maker to Liverpool?

lAs was previously reported on HERE, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and new fan favourite Rafael van der Vaart may be forcing Niko Kranjcar out of Tottenham.

The 26 year old has started just one Premier League match this season which was in the weekend defeat at Bolton, and as he was hauled off at half time for fellow bench warmer David Bentley, it seems Redknapp is unimpressed with the former Portsmouth play maker.
Now, the players father has said that interest from Liverpool would certainly sway the Croatians head, and force him to make a decision on his future away from White Hart Lane.

"If he didn’t have ambition, he would stay at Tottenham and vegetate for the next three years”

“He has a great deal, but one just can’t match money with his ambitions.

“Niko would like to stay in London, but he is also ready to leave England if he could move to Serie A.

“Liverpool is a club which would interest him but, then again, why not Italy?”

Liverpool seem to lack the creativity and flare that Kranjcar could inject, and for only around £7 million, Hodgson would be wise to make a move soon so his team can continue their revival after beating Premier League Champions on Sunday.

Javier Hernandez to Real Madrid? Ridiculous!

According to some reports, Real Madrid are masterminding a plan to snatch Javier Hernandez away from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

You can call it "audacious", like some newspapers have reported it to be, but I think absurd, ludicrous and fantastically laughable is putting far more accurately.

Apparently, Jose Mourinho will be making a move for the young Mexican striker when the January transfer window opens in just under 2 months. Firstly, I'm not sure Hernandez, who has started brilliantly for Manchester United, after agreeing to sign for £7 million in April 2010, would even get into the first team of Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 12 goals in 15 games this season, Gonzalo Higuain, has scored 7 in 15, and attacking midfielders such as Mesut Ozil, Kaka and Di Maria are in the team - Javier Hernandez wouldn't get ahead of them, despite his good form.

Secondly, Hernandez has just broken into the team at Manchester United, and is proving his worth by scoring vital goals in vital games. He would not risk a move away, after just settling in at England and getting into his stride. He knows it is a rare opportunity for a young player like himself to get into the team ahead of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, even if they are off form. It is his time to prove that he is both worthy of playing in their place, and standing in for the when they are not available, or un-fit.

Finally, and most importantly, Sir Alex Ferguson. In 2008, when Real Madrid were shamelessly chasing Cristiano Ronaldo, Ferguson said:

"Do you think I would enter into a contract with that mob? No chance. I would not sell them a virus."

The United manager did end up selling Ronaldo, but it was for a world record breaking £80 million, while Ronaldo had expressed his desire to leave for Madrid. It is fair to say, that Ferguson's relations with Madrid are far from close. He would hate to sell them another of his young stars, especially one that he has only just bought, and one that holds obvious qualities.

Maybe Real Madrid should find themselves a player from places other than Manchester United. United are obviously better at finding promising young talent than the Spanish team, and by attempting to buy Javier Hernandez, they would embarrass themselves in a move that is ridiculously senseless.

Liverpool 2 - 0 Chelsea - Terrific Torres too Much for Chelsea

Liverpool defeated the Champions in their best performance of the season which saw Fernando Torres score two brilliant goals to turn the corner for Liverpool to put smiles on every Liverpool fans' faces.

Liverpool started brightly, and with a nice dink over the Chelsea defenders by Dirk Kuyt to Torres, fit or not fit, there would be only one end to this Liverpool attack. He may have miss hit the ball into the ground, but this Spanish striker knows where the goal is, and it past Petr Cech in goal to set Liverpool off.

The second goal came at a great time. Just before half time, Meireles fed in Torres on the left hand side, and after cutting inside onto his right foot, curled a beauty into the top corner of the Chelsea net - nothing Cech could do.
His touch was much improved, and he worked much harder than previous performances this season. The early goal obviously helped his confidence, and he went on to put in a man of the match performance. He was able to lead from the front and set a standard for the rest of the team.

Gerrard was once again exceptional, and Carragher at the back was, as always a fearless defender who put his body on the line to keep Chelsea out. One chance, after a powerful Anelka shot that Reina bearly saved, the ball bounced off of the top of the crossbar, and was about to be met with a tap-in from Didier Drogba. Jamie Carragher however, was in his way, and shepharded the ball back into Reina's hands. Drogba knew the chance was a brilliant one, but he acknowledged too that the defending was brilliant.

The second half was defend, defend, defend from Liverpool who desperatley needed to hold onto their lead. Chelsea wouldn't give up, and created enough chances to score at least one goal. But the resiliant togetherness from Liverpool kept the two goal lead, and the valuable three points.

Liverpool are now up to ninth in the League, and Chelsea only two points ahead of Manchester United. Out of the bottom half, and having just beaten the English Champions, it may be too soon to say that Liverpool are "back", but slowly, and steadily, they are getting there.

Arsenal 0 - 1 Newcastle - Carroll Steals the Win

A beautifully floated free-kick from Joey Barton just before half time prompted Fabianski to stagger out of his six yard box, wave his arms about, and allow the monster of Andy Carroll to power the flying ball into the back of an empty Arsenal net. It was that simple.

But the hard bit was yet to come for Newcastle. They had to resist the Arsenal attack, break up the play, and just get it out of their area. They did it brilliantly, with every single player working so hard for the team to keep out the Arsenal force. Tiote and Barton controlled the midfield - breaking down any attacks and running and running until the final minutes to win a valuable three point for the Magpies.

Arsenal had limited chances with a Nasri strike in the first half well saved by Tim Krul in the goal, while a Fabregas free-kick, also in the first half, hit the cross bar. But that was really as close as Arsenal came to scoring. All in all it was a very frustrating home game for Arsenal, who simply couldn't get passed the very well organised defence and midfield of Newcastle.

The strikers too, of Carroll, Ameobi and Ranger worked their socks off. They often didn't have much support in the box and had to come deep to receive the ball as well as moving out wide, but they didn't stop working, and also helped in defence.

Capello sat in the stands, watching the Englishmen on show closely. Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll in particular played well, and with Capello looking for different, new players to break into his squad of national failures, they all have a chance.

Rooney's bad form has been well publicised, and Andy Carroll's good form was clear for the England manager to see today. He could be looking at a place in the England squad, or team in the near future if his form continues.

Ji Sung Park saves United, but Hargreaves' First Start Ends Badly

It should have been a great day for Owen Hargreaves - his first start since 2008, and he would have been raring to go again after so long out. The adrenaline would have been pumping, and when the Old Trafford crowd cheered his name, he would have been determined to prove the faithful fans his worth.

Unfortunately, his dream day did not materialise. After picking up an injury in the 6th minute, he left the field in the 7th minute, clutching his hamstring. Hopefully, it is just the hamstring that he has pulled, and it isn't the recurring knee injury that has kept him out for two years. That way, he would be out for a couple of weeks/months, however, that won't be of consolation to the United man, as he limped off to the all to familiar treatment room.

Luckily, the day didn't end as badly for his team. It was a pretty poor performance overall from Manchester United, who substituted Hargreaves with Bebe, and changed around the system that had been prepared for match day. Nani was absent after a groin injury he picked up against Bursaspor, and Obertan stepped in. Berbatov was also missing, so the little Mexican Javier Hernandez replaced him up front on his own.

The first goal of the game came in the 45th minute from the inform Ji Sung Park. Fletcher saw a gap in the Wolves defence and fed in Park with a deadly accurate ball, and the South Korean made no mistake with a brilliant finish.

The second half, like the first started slowly, and only half chances came to Hernandez, Obertan and Bebe, but they were all woeful in their finishing.

However, the former Manchester United striker, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake lit up his former home with a nice turn from a Miljas pass, before firing powerfully passed Van der Sar. It all became a bit desperate from then on. Bebe's bad game was confirmed as he was substituted for Macheda in the 74th minute, and Scholes came on for O'Shea, in an attacking move.

United found themselves inside the Wolves half, attacking ad attacking, but to no avail. Wolves didn't seem like cracking from the pressure, and were even able to create a few chances of their own on the break.

But as has happened so many times over the years, the immense surge at the end of United games when they need a goal became too much for Wolves, and the Red Devils punished them in the form of Ji Sung Park again.

Fletcher was again the link to Park, and the rest was a brilliantly individual goal. After beating four defenders in the area, he finished with a low drive into the bottom corner - in the 93rd minute.

Two points behind Chelsea in the League, and still unbeaten, it was a good result, but one that was very hard fought, and done by the skin of their teeth.

Defour to Turn Liverpool Down to Join Manchester United

Steven Defour has been a long term target of Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United, and despite interest from Liverpool to sign the Belgian play maker, sources close to the youngster claim that he would not spoil a chance to join the Manchester club in the future by talking to, or joining their arch rivals Liverpool.

The source said:

 "There are many big clubs interested in Steven but he does not want to play for Liverpool at this moment."

"For the last two years Manchester United has been his number one choice and if he plays for Liverpool he is unlikely to fulfil that dream because of the rivalry between the teams.

"He would love to play under [Sir Alex] Ferguson and there may not be another chance if his next move is not to Manchester.

"But both clubs are watching him very closely and he is flattered by all the interest and takes it seriously."

After Defour was on the receiving end of  a serious injury, ruling him out for a long time, Sir Alex sent him a letter wishing him a speedy recover, and assuring him that Manchester United would be monitoring his progress and recovery. The player seems like a natural successor to Paul Scholes in the centre of midfield, and with Scholes not getting any younger, as well as rumours linking the veteran to either a move to a Dubai club or retirement, Ferguson is under pressure to pursue his replacement.

In October, talking to talksport the 22-year-old Standard Liege midfielder said:

"I do know that Manchester United are monitoring me - if everything goes well and I continue playing as I am, there is a better chance of me leaving than there was at the start of the season."

Vagner Love to Liverpool?

97 goals in six seasons, Brazilian, and relatively cheap - it's just what Liverpool need, isn't it? Vagner Love, the CSKA Moscow striker is being linked with Liverpool after Roy Hodgson hinted at several new signings to improve his struggling squad.

Hodgson is in particular in the market for an out and out striker, of real quality, to partner Fernando Torres up front. Torres has been going through a quite long difficult period recently in which he has been way off form, and a top quality striker, such as Love, who can support him would be welcomed by the Spanish star.

Reports vary as to how much Hodgson will have to spend in the upcoming January transfer window, but it is thought hat the new owners will give the former Fulham manager around £35 million to spend. It is also thought, that Vagner Love would leave the Russian club for a fee in the region of £10 million, however, predictions differ.

The player, who is distinguished by is colourful braids, has played 20 times for his nation, and scored 4 goals, while scoring a career club total of 154 in 269 games. Evidently, he has no lack of experience, and would add his footballing knowledge to Liverpool, who seem to be using more and more younger players like Jonjo Shelvey and Jay Spearing.

In the current situation of the club, Liverpool would welcome any decent players into their team, especially if they offer someting attacking, and different. Vagner Love does that.

Gareth Bale is Priceless for Tottenham

After annihilating the European Champions' right back, Maicon, described as one of the best defenders in the world, Gareth Bale has been the topic of many a conversation today.

The Tottenham winger was in astonishing form, and showed his extraordinary fitness levels, when, in the 89th minute, after running and running for the whole game, bolted forward, past the Inter defence to assist his teammate with a tap in, and Tottenham's third to seal the game. And, after gathering admirers from all over the world, in giants of football clubs, and experienced football experts, Bale was more or less labelled as a priceless player by the man who helped turn him into the star that he is today, the Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.

When asked about the possibility of a top club bidding in the region of £25 - £30 million for the Welsh winger, Redknapp assured the Tottenham fans by saying:

"They wouldn't buy him for that, that's for sure,

"If he had a value, if we wanted to sell him, his value would be way in excess of that sort of figure.

"He really is an amazing young player. We wouldn't even entertain a bid. The chairman has said he's not for sale and that's good enough."

Instead, Redknapp wants to build a club, who he knows is improving day by day, with committed owners, quality players and quality facilities.

"We don't want to sell him and we're looking to build a team at Tottenham. We're a club that's going places - we've got a new training ground coming, change of stadium, the whole thing is going forward.

Gareth Bale, a man who went through a period early in his Tottenham career, in which whenever he was in the team, the team lost, has turned into a player that Tottenham cannot do without. He is worth, to Harry Redknapp and Tottenham over £50 million, and has almost single handed, demolished the European Champions' defence.

Bale summed the game up nicely, as he has seen his career and reputation change rapidly over the last few years:

"It was great, it was special beating the European champions. It will be a night that will never be forgotten."