Unscopulous

Pulis rounds on 'cheating' Sanchez amid Rodriguez penalty row Tony Pulis was not happy with referee Bobby Madley's officiating in West Brom's loss to Arsenal on Monday. Tony Pulis accused Alexis Sanchez of diving and insisted Jay Rodriguez should have had a penalty in West Brom's 2-0 defeat at Arsenal. A double from Alexandre Lacazette sealed the win for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium and moved them back to within six points of Premier League leaders Manchester City. There was a controversial moment in only the eighth minute when Rodriguez, having been brought down by Shkodran Mustafi in the Arsenal penalty area, got back to his feet and saw a shot tipped onto the post by Petr Cech, before Jake Livermore missed the rebound. Pulis was far from pleased to see referee Bobby Madley refuse to award a spot-kick and felt Rodriguez was punished for being "honest", given that Sanchez had earlier won a free-kick in a dangerous position after going to ground following minimal contact from Craig Dawson. "Everybody's seen what happened," the West Brom boss told Sky Sports. "If you want to make an example of something, with Sanchez, the first free-kick he gives on the edge of the box, he should be booked for diving. "Then you see the tackle in the box on Jay, the referee has got a great view and it's a stonewall penalty. "It's not only a foul, the player could be sent off as well. So it could be a penalty and them down to 10 men. "Jake should score the rebound and we should score other goals, but the disappointing thing is Sanchez falls for the first free-kick and he should be booked. That's cheating. "Jay is very, very honest and doesn't get any reward for being honest. We haven't had a penalty at this football club for over and a year and none of my players are told to roll around. "The great thing is everyone has seen it and I don't have to talk about it, and I don't want to talk about it. I thought we played really well, we missed a lot of chances in the first half. We're disappointed." Rodriguez insisted there was definite contact from Mustafi and defended his refusal not to make more of the incident at the time. "I felt contact and obviously went down

Alonso announces move into management After retiring at the end of the 2016-17 campaign, Xabi Alonso said he knew his next step would be into management. Former Spain star Xabi Alonso has revealed he is moving into management after retiring at the end of last season. Alonso, 35, retired after the 2016-17 campaign, having starred for Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich during his playing career. The former midfielder now knows the next step in his life – saying on Monday he was becoming a manager. "After 17 years in the game, I have considered the next step in my career," Alonso said on Instagram. "I have decided to go into management. Find out [where] soon." Alonso won two Champions League trophies, a LaLiga crown and three Bundesliga titles, as well as the 2010 World Cup with Spain, during his playing career.

Lacazette not just a goalscorer – Wenger Alexandre Lacazette is not just a goalscorer for Arsenal, according to manager Arsene Wenger. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger lauded Alexandre Lacazette, saying the forward was more than just a goalscorer. Lacazette struck a brace to help Arsenal to a 2-0 win over West Brom in the Premier League on Monday. The France international made it four goals in six league games since arriving from Lyon and Wenger praised the 26-year-old. "He's not only a goalscorer, his link up play is good," Wenger told a news conference. "He fights as well, he's not fazed by the physical challenges that West Brom gave us and overall he looks to adapt very quickly and very well." The win saw Arsenal extend their unbeaten run to five matches in all competitions since their 4-0 humbling at the hands of Liverpool. Wenger has been pleased with his team's response since that defeat as their win over West Brom lifted them into seventh in the table. "Yes of course we are in a different position, a different mental aspect as well," he said. "But we know we live in a world where when you miss a game like where we did at Liverpool, you face a very difficult environment afterwards. "There's only one way to respond, that is to show your character and respond with results on the pitch."

How many times do I have to reiterate it? Football is life and life is sport dependent !!!! I never knew Roger and Rafa will come together to bless tennis in a double. This is a blessing, tenacity cum calmness. Anyways we have a rather unsurprising results in England, I think the league will finish the same way it did on Saturday. At least the top four. Who will bell the cat of Manchester city, they literally killed an already dead woeful and awful Crystal Palace. They were hapless, maybe they need more than Hodgson this time around. How will you define Harry Kane? The new London Derby King , that guy is easily worth 200 million Euros with this new crazy transfer fee. Sergie Aureir is proud of the bad boy tag otherwise why will he get himself red carded for that ? I can bet one thing, if Augero gets himself injured along the line you can be sure that Kane is gonna be the Golden boot winner yet again. His coach said he is the kinda player you will marry your daughter off to and with that kind of performance who wouldn't really? That boy is complete, he needed that move away from Real Madrid to turn world class without an iota of doubt. He can only get better. And when will kante stop working ? Lol Mourinho the king of bus parking and result getting did what needed to be done to get result. He doesn't always win at the saints and he did what needed to be done to grind out the maximum point, call it unconventional considering the embarrassment of talent but nobody will remember that if the three points win them the league. Kaku is better than average but United really need to watch it, this result could have been faltering if the late surge happened again. Jurgen Klopp is a good coach but if his approach does not change, he will never be one of the greats. Fix your team and balance the odds, nobody wants another Arsene at hand, the team is compromised and they are lucky to have gotten the three points. It is indignified of a team that has stars good enough to win the championship. People might even mistake me for a Liverpool fan. Jurgen should just do the needful or leave gracefully this is not hard. Straight to 🇩🇪, Bayern seem to lack the intensity and

Montella breathes sigh of relief after narrow Milan win A brace from Nikola Kalinic saw off the threat of Udinese with Vincenzo Montella relieved his side's lack of concentration was not punished. AC Milan manager Vincenzo Montella was not impressed by his side's lack of concentration in their 2-1 Serie A win over Udinese at San Siro.  Nikola Kalinic scored his first goals for the Rossoneri either side of Kevin Lasagna's strike for Udinese to get Montella's side back to winning ways in the league after last weekend's 4-1 thumping by Lazio. It could have been a very different story, though, if Lasagna's effort at 0-0 had not been ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee system. Montella was critical of his side's reaction to that disallowed goal, and their inability to kill the game off after they had taken the lead. "I liked the performance, but not so much the slip in concentration after the Udinese goal was disallowed, as that could've been costly," he told Mediaset Premium. "Overall, it was a step forward in various different ways, including the attitude. We could've finished it off earlier and must always remain concentrated. "This is an important win, and a few weeks ago we probably wouldn't have won it. We are getting used to playing matches like this." Montella believes that last weekend's humbling to Lazio could be the best thing to happen to his side this season, and is excited for what the long-term benefits might be. "I have no regrets over the defeat to Lazio, because I think it helped us," he added.  "It was a slap in the face that did us good. This team has character, but I am convinced it'll improve further." Udinese boss Luigi Delneri, meanwhile, was left to lament his side's defending for Milan's winner.  Kalinic shrugged off the attentions of his marker to latch onto a Franck Kessie header and prod home from close range to grab his second of the game.  He said: "It was a shame about the second goal we conceded. It came from a situation we could have dealt with. "We stayed in the game until the end and missed the chance right at the end to draw through [Rijad] Bajic."

Dortmund CEO brands Cologne bad losers for demanding to replay a 5-0 defeat Borussia Dortmund's chief shot down Cologne's claim that an "irregular" use of the VAR should result in a replay of their heavy loss. Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke rubbished Cologne's call for a replay of their 5-0 defeat at the Westfalenstadion, branding the beaten visitors bad losers. Cologne are protesting the result on the grounds of the involvement of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in awarding Dortmund's second goal, scored by defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos after Timo Horn spilled a corner. Referee Patrick Ittrich originally waved away the goal due to an apparent foul, before reversing the decision in consultation with the VAR. But Cologne sporting director Jorg Schmadtke claims Ittrich's initial call should have stood due to it being made before the ball had crossed the line. "We want to protest," Schmadtke told Sky Sport Germany. "It was an irregular decision against the rules, which is why we are seeking for the match to be replayed." Dortmund chief Watzke quickly slammed the request, telling Sky: "To protest after losing 5-0 is the strong attitude of a bad loser." The hosts went on to add three goals to their 2-0 half-time lead to ensure Cologne remain rooted to the bottom of the table after four matches. Speaking at his post-match news conference, Dortmund coach Peter Bosz sympathised with the frustration of the opposition. "I understand the anger of conceding a goal right before half-time," Bosz said. "We watched it afterwards and I do not think there was any player who stopped playing because of the whistle, because the ball was on its way and almost inside the goal. "But I do understand the situation is annoying [for Cologne]."

Wenger happy with Lacazette display Alexandre Lacazette was praised by Arsene Wenger after Arsenal drew with Chelsea in the Premier League. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger backed Alexandre Lacazette despite taking the forward off in the second half of his side's draw with Chelsea. The France international has made a decent start to life in England, scoring two goals in six matches in all competitions since arriving for €53million from Lyon. But Lacazette, 26, was unable to have an impact in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge before being substituted in the 66th minute, the forward missing a glorious chance prior to half-time. Wenger praised the forward and said with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott on the bench, he was always going to make a change in the derby clash. "I felt Lacazette had a very good first half. He worked very hard for the team, he's very disciplined and it takes him some time to maintain that intensity for 90 minutes," he said. "Don't forget as well I had Walcott, Giroud and Alexis on the bench, so after 65 minutes in a game of that intensity, it's normal that you bring some fresh legs in." However, Wenger said he would never ask a striker to get used to being substituted. "I never ask any striker to understand that he has to make room for somebody else," he said. "You can never do that."

Emery tells Cavani and Neymar to sort it out after penalty disagreement PSG boss Unai Emery wants to leave it up to Edinson Cavani and Neymar to decide on the spot-kick duties but he will intervene if necessary. Unai Emery expects Edinson Cavani and Neymar to come to an agreement on penalty-taking responsibilities after the pair argued over a spot-kick during Paris Saint-Germain's win against Lyon. PSG continued their 100 per cent start to the Ligue 1 season with a 2-0 victory at home to Lyon thanks to a pair of own goals, a result somewhat overshadowed by a disagreement between star forwards Cavani and Neymar. Cavani and €222million arrival Neymar quarrelled over a penalty in the 79th minute – the Uruguayan eventually winning the argument with his new team-mate but missing from the spot. PSG head coach Emery said he wants to leave it up to Cavani and Neymar to decide on the spot-kick duties but he will intervene if necessary. "The penalties are to be struck by a few players, one is Cavani and the other is Neymar," Emery said. "It takes a gentleman's agreement on the ground to hit the penalties.  "Afterwards, we will arrange internally for the penalties that are coming in, because I think both are able to score them, and I want the two to alternate in this exercise. "If there is no agreement, I will decide. I do not want it to be a problem for us." On the match itself, Emery added: "We respect the championship, and last season we suffered both matches against Lyon. Today [Sunday] I wanted to win with less difficulty, but I recognise the reality, we must learn to suffer and win with difficulty.  "Of the 90 minutes, the team deserved to win. Lyon had opportunities, but over 90 minutes we did more than them." The defeat was Lyon's first of the campaign and they will be disappointed not to have left the capital with at least a point after an impressive display.  Bruno Genesio refused to be too despondent, though, excited for what the rest of the season will bring if they continue to perform in such a positive fashion.  "We leave disappointed because we deserved better," he explained.  "We had the opportunity to score and we paid for one or two mistake

He demonstrated the player he is – Zidane salutes Bale's goalscoring performance Gareth Bale scored in Real Madrid 3-1 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday and Zinedine Zidane was delighted for the under-fire winger. Zinedine Zidane saluted the goalscoring performance of Gareth Bale in Real Madrid's win at Real Sociedad, hopeful that it is a "turning point" after a difficult period for the Wales star. Bale has been a hot topic at the Santiago Bernabeu so far this term, with the 28-year-old becoming the target of jeers from some sections of Madrid supporters on more than one occasion this season. The former Tottenham star endured an injury-hit campaign last term and is yet to truly rediscover the form of his first three seasons in LaLiga. But his goal in Sunday's 3-1 victory – a delicate finish after a 50-yard sprint – was his second in four league games this season and Zidane believes he proved a point with his performance. "I'm very happy for him," Zidane told reporters. "There is a lot of talk about him, but he has demonstrated the player he is. "It proved to be a great game, not only because of the goal. But I'm happy for the goal because he needed to put it in. "It's not easy, after a 70metre race. Technically he did it very well and, for me he's not even at his best. "I know we're going to find [the real] Bale little by little. I know he can do a lot better, but we have to be patient, as I said before the game." Zidane also reserved special praise for Borja Mayoral, who scored his first LaLiga goal in what his first league start in Spain since April 2016. "He's a good player," Zidane said. "He's young man, but he could have an important role, so I'm very happy for him. "He's had the opportunity to play and he's done well."

What a weekend of Premier League football that was! We had a sort of Super Sunday, Manchester City scored their 15th goal of the week and Everton unveiled the weirdest sleeve sponsor yet. Here’s what turned us on and turned us off during match week five. THE GOOD 😀 Best player: Jamaal Lascelles For the second successive week, Lascelles scored the goal which gave Newcastle a priceless Premier League victory – their third in a row, in fact. The 23-year-old was one of the few bright spots of the Magpies’ last Premier League campaign and he really established himself as a crucial member of Rafael Benítez’s side last season in the Championship. He’s a solid defender, a natural leader and, as he proved again on Saturday, a real threat from set-pieces. It’s surely only a matter of time until he gets his first senior England call up. The former Nottingham Forest man isn’t afraid to speak his mind either and took the unusual step of criticising Stoke’s defenders for “ball watching” on the corner which led to his goal during his post-match interview. However, not everyone was happy about Lascelles’s second goal of the season, especially not his mother Jill! Best team performance: Manchester City 💪 Watford and Manchester City arrived at Vicarage Road on Saturday as two of the Premier League’s three remaining unbeaten sides but when the game kicked off, the gulf in class between the teams was evident almost immediately and the 0-6 final scoreline didn’t flatter the rampant visitors in the slightest. One of City’s biggest problems last season was their inability to take their chances in front of goal but 15 goals in their last three matches suggests Pep Guardiola has finally found a solution to that particular conundrum. The fact they’ve kept three clean sheets without Vincent Kompany must also be pretty encouraging. Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesus have banished any suggestions they might not be able to play together while Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva are in sensational form at the moment. If ever proof were needed of the embarrassment of riches available to Guardiola, with his side cruising to victory in the second half on Saturday, he was able to bring B

Champions League Matchday One: Juventus to break Italian record, Celtic braced for Neymar The Champions League music shall blare out again as the competition returns this week and we have the best stats ahead of matchday one. A little over three months have passed since Real Madrid made surprisingly light work of Juventus in a 4-1 win to lift the Champions League trophy for a record 12th time and become the first team to successfully defend their crown in the modern era. Madrid will have to wait until Wednesday to begin their campaign, but runners-up Juve are among those in action on Tuesday, and things are not going to be much easier for Massimiliano Allegri's men as they head to Barcelona in arguably the game of the round - a repeat of last season's quarter-final. Europa League champions Manchester United make their return to the competition after a year out, as do their Premier League rivals Chelsea, with Basel and Azerbaijani newcomers Qarabag their respective visitors. Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain will unleash Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for the first time in Europe as they travel to Celtic. Using Opta data, we take a look at some of the best stats ahead of the opening group games on Tuesday. - Benfica have not made it any further than the quarter-finals of the Champions League since 1992-93. - Benfica and CSKA Moscow's only previous encounter was in the last 32 of the 2004-05 UEFA Cup. The Russian side progressed thanks to a 2-0 home win and 1-1 draw in Lisbon; they went on to lift the trophy later that season. - CSKA are making their 11th Champions League appearance – their fifth in a row. That is the second most for a Russian side after Spartak Moscow (12). - CSKA are winless in their last 10 Champions League games (D4 L6), equaling their longest run without a victory in the competition. Away from home, they have lost 11 of their last 13 Champions League games (W1 D1). - This is Viktor Goncharenko's fourth Champions League campaign as manager, after three previous appearances with BATE Borisov. He was the first manager to lead a Belarusian team into the group stages of the competition. MANCHESTER UNITED v BASEL - Basel are unbeaten against Unite

Asensio not interested in PSG move Marco Asensio is "very happy" at Real Madrid as he ruled out making a switch to Paris Saint-Germain. Real Madrid star Marco Asensio has no interest in a move to Paris Saint-Germain as the attacker recalled Barcelona's interest in him as a teenager. Asensio, 21, has made an impressive start to the season, scoring four goals in six games in all competitions for Madrid. The Spain international, who arrived at Madrid from Mallorca in 2014, is considered one of the brightest young talents in the world. Asensio was linked to PSG, among other clubs, last month, but the attacker is happy at Madrid. "I don't know how much I'm worth... I guess what my [release] clause says," he told COPE. "If I would go to PSG? No, not really, because I'm very happy here." Asensio was signed by Madrid for a reported €3.9million in late 2014, but it could have been so different. He recalled Barca's interest in his services, with Asensio's agent – Horacio Gaggioli – having previously said Madrid's rivals missed their opportunity earlier in 2014. "I started with the first team of Mallorca and Barca appeared," Asensio said. "The end is the destination, not Barca, and I was delighted to be at Real Madrid and to defend this shirt. "When Horacio called me and told me Real Madrid were interested, I said I just wanted to play there."

It all could have been so very, very different. Arsène Wenger has confirmed that he met with the then-Manchester United chairman, Martin Edwards, in 2001. Manchester United were looking for Wenger to replace Sir Alex Ferguson, who had announced that he planned to retire at the end of the 2001-2002 season. Ferguson later famously changed his mind but Wenger said that he had rejected the approach anyway. “I am always very confidential,” Wenger said, when pressed on the details. “One day maybe I will get all the contacts I had during my stay at Arsenal and it would make a few chapters.” The two clubs were the top rivals in the Premier League at the time, between them winning the title every season from 1995 until 2004. But Wenger has surprisingly admitted that he considered the proposition an ‘attractive’ one. “I always question myself,” he recognised. “Yes, of course, Manchester United is attractive but am I happy here? The answer was yes.” The Frenchman ultimately rejected any overtures from United in favour of remaining at Arsenal, a decision which has possibly shaped the course of Premier League history. The reason, of course, had to do with Arsenal’s ‘philosophy’. Asked why he stayed, Wenger said: “Because I love the values of this club and, for me, a club is about values first. “One day it would be a good chat to have with the press to look at the evolution. “You speak about Manchester United, and the evolution in the last 20 years would be very interesting. “A lot has changed but when I came here this club was about values that I love in sport. That is why I am still in the competition.”

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and the Premier League’s triumphant return after a two week hiatus reminded us just why we love it so. There were great goals, big wins, controversial red cards and people getting kicked in the nuts. What more could you ask for? Animated GIFs - Find & Share on GIPHY Here are the best and worst bits of the weekend’s action…. THE GOOD 😀 Best player: Kevin De Bruyne 👍 The Belgian put in a virtuoso performance in Manchester City’s 5-0 drubbing of Liverpool on Saturday, notching up three superb assists and having a hand in his side’s fourth goal. De Bruyne’s quality has never been in doubt and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville’s comparisons with his former team-mate David Beckham are not flattering in the slightest. If anything, it could be argued De Bruyne has more to his game than Beckham did. But what has held the 26-year-old back in his career so far has been his inability to bring his A game on a consistent basis and if this is to be the season when it all clicks into place for De Bruyne, City will be a force to be reckoned with both domestically and in Europe. “A complete, complete player,” said an exultant Pep Guardiola after Saturday’s game. “He loves to be here with us, so we’re a lucky team, a lucky club to have Kevin with us. “This season he is in a good mood – maybe because he is a father now, I don’t know – he’s always optimistic, it’s good. He’s one of our captains.”

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Monaco make €289m in transfer window as Real Madrid and Arsenal profit Alvaro Morata's move to Chelsea helped Real Madrid join Monaco as a team who made an overall profit from their transfer dealings. Monaco made an astonishing €289million in profit from their transfer activity in the last window, while Real Madrid and Arsenal were among the other major clubs to generate more cash than they spent. The CIES Football Observatory has released analysis of the transfer activity in Europe's top-five leagues and found Monaco generated €394m in player sales, while only spending €105m of that on replacements. The Ligue 1 champions allowed Kylian Mbappe, Benjamin Mendy, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Bernardo Silva to leave in lucrative deals. Monaco's net balance would have been even higher had Thomas Lemar joined Arsenal on deadline day, Arsene Wenger having confirmed the Gunners made a €100m bid.   Borussia Dortmund made the second biggest profit from their transfer activity, their dealings generating a positive net figure of €110m with Ousmane Dembele's switch to Barcelona - which could reach a value of €147m - the biggest contributor. Lyon were third on the list having made €72m, they received €129m in sales including Alexandre Lacazette to Arsenal and Corentin Tolisso to Bayern Munich. Real Madrid's frugality in the transfer market continued, as they generated revenues of €47m through their dealings, Alvaro Morata joining Chelsea in their highest-profile departure. Paris Saint-Germain's world record transfer for Neymar meant they had the highest negative balance at -€343m, while three Premier League sides were in the top five. Manchester United (-€186m), Manchester City (-€173m) and Chelsea (-€106m) were all just behind AC Milan on a negative of €189m. Arsenal broke their transfer record to sign Lacazette for €60m, but he was the only player they paid a fee for in the window, while they made €86m in sales, boosted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's deadline-day move to Liverpool.   Of the five leagues, LaLiga was the only league to make an overall profit on transfer activity.  Clubs in Spain's top flight cumulatively made €9m, but Ligue 1 lost €55m and the Bundesli