Ibrahimovic dismissed because of "reputation"

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo claims Zlatan Ibrahimovic was only sent off against Valencia because of his standing in the game.



The Swedish striker appeared to become riled as he challenged with two Valencia players and went over the ball in a challenge with Andres Guardado, prompting referee Paolo Tagliavento to brandish the red card.



The dismissal came swiftly after Valencia pulled a goal back in stoppage time, having trailed 2-0, and the Spanish side will head to Paris in three weeks' time looking to make up a 2-1 deficit, with Ibrahimovic suspended.



Leonardo was asked if he regretted the late twist to the night's events.



"To concede a goal, that can happen due to fatigue for example," Leonardo said. "But the red card... I think Ibrahimovic pays for his reputation. If it was another player committing this foul, he wouldn't be sent off.



"Suddenly, there is a slight bitter feeling because of it."



Carlo Ancelotti's Ligue 1 leader had taken command at the Mestalla with first-half goals from Argentinian pair Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore, with Valencia's late reply coming from Adil Rami.



"Even when you lead 2-0, it's not easy," Leonardo said.



The Brazilian former World Cup winner stressed it was worth remembering the progress PSG has made since Qatar Sports Investments took control of the club in 2011.



"It's only been a year and a half since QSI took over the club," he said, according to psg.fr.



"We are still in the construction phase. Our ambitions isn't only to win a match in the last 16 away from home. It's more than that.



"To win the Champions League? This year, I don't know. But after that ..."



Manager Ancelotti agreed with Leonardo's assessment of Ibrahimovic's dismissal.



"It wasn't deserved," he said. "I don't under stand it, it isn't fair."



Italian Ancelotti added: "We played a good match on a difficult pitch. There was quality and a good attitude. We will need to have this same attitude in the return match.



"We had a lot of chances to score and we defended very well. It's a very good performance even if we let in this goal at the end of the match."

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Laudrup poised for Swansea talks

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup will begin contract talks with the club's board in the coming days, according to his agent.



Laudrup's existing deal runs until the end of next season but Swans chairman Huw Jenkins confirmed last week he would like to extend the Dane's deal by 12 months.



Laudrup is happy in south Wales but recently stated his focus is on the present rather than the future and is in no rush to negotiate new terms.



Nevertheless, Laudrup's agent Bayram Tutumlu told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet: "Yes, Swansea has a strong interest in extending Michael Laudrup's contract.



"In the coming days, we will meet with Swansea and discuss the possibility of an extension."



Laudrup is enjoying a good first season in charge of Swansea after replacing Brendan Rodgers in June.



The 48-year-old has led the Swans into the top half of the Barclays Premier League table and they are already just three points shy of the 40 widely regarded as the mark required to avoid relegation.



Laudrup has also guided Swansea to the Capital One Cup final at Wembley later this month, where they will face Bradford.

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The top stories from papers and websites - 13 February 2013

• Jose Mourinho has dropped the biggest hint yet that he will return to the Premier League this summer - but not to take charge of Manchester United.


• Tottenham outcast David Bentley is set to get the chance to relaunch his career at Blackburn.


• Sunderland will make a £2million summer bid for Morocco defender Michael Chretien Basser.


• Martin O'Neill is set to give Sunderland flop James McFadden another chance.


• Dave Jones has blocked Gary Madine's exit from Sheffield Wednesday.


• Exiled Andre Santos insists he WILL return to Arsenal when his Gremio loan finishes.

• Jose Mourinho says he is heading back to the Premier League - probably this summer.


• QPR and Harry Redknapp have been labelled "out of their minds" for shattering the club's wage structure to sign Chris Samba.


• Tony Pulis has been assured of the final say on Stoke's transfer policy despite owner Peter Coates' criticism of the £10million deal for Peter Crouch.


• Mark Robins is ready to quit League One Coventry and take the Huddersfield job.

• Everton have joined the chase for Chelsea and England star Frank Lampard.


• Jose Mourinho is heading back to the Premier League - and it might be sooner than he thought.


• QPR were last night branded crazy for breaking the bank to sign Chris Samba.


• Reading defender Alex Pearce is ready to snub offers from West Brom and Sunderland to sign a new deal with the Royals.

• Jose Mourinho chose his official press conference in Madrid ahead of the Champions League clash with Manchester United to declare he would soon be returning to English football.


• Frank Lampard may not yet have signed a new contract at Chelsea but the midfielder has signed at least one new deal - as a children's author.


• Blackburn want to take David Bentley back on loan for the rest of the season.


• QPR were "out of their minds" to spend £12.5million on Chris Samba, according to the club who sold him.

• Jose Mourinho has confirmed that he sees his future back in English football.


• QPR have been told they were out of their minds to spend so much money on bringing Chris Samba back to the Premier League.


• Tony Pulis will still have the final say on Stoke's transfer policy despite owner Peter Coates admitting he "never liked" the club-record move for Peter Crouch.


• Blackburn are hoping to finalise a deal to bring David Bentley back to the club on loan from Spurs.


• West Brom boss Steve Clarke insists Peter Odemwingie still has a part to play this season.


• Manchester City are considering a summer move for Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez.


• Wolves are preparing a loan move for Reading defender Kapsars Gorkss.

• Arsenal sent a scout to Parkhead on Tuesday night to watch Celtic’s Victor Wanyama, with Arsene Wenger having identified the holding midfield as a transfer priority this summer.

• Newcastle are eyeing up deals for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Isimat-Mirin with the club confirming plans to raid the French market again in the summer.


• Liverpool are ready to tie up a £1million deal for Viborg goalkeeper Kevin Ray Mendoza Hansen – if he passes a two-week trial at Anfield.

• Napoli are eying Spurs target Leandro Damiao as a replacement if Edinson Cavani leaves the club this summer.


• Fiorentina could turn to Southampton star Gaston Ramirez should they sell Arsenal target Stevan Jovetic this summer.

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Ayre: 'Liverpool players will walk if racially abused'

Liverpool's Managing Director Ian Ayre has said that the team will not hesitate to walk off the pitch if their players are subjected to racial abuse when they play Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia on Thursday.



The Russians host the Reds in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 tie, and Ayre has said that they will take the "right action" if any player is singled out for racist taunts.



"Anything that happens off the pitch, we'll work very closely with the authorities," Ayre was quoted as saying in The Telegraph.



"We'll take the right action. I'll ensure we do whatever we need to do to protect our players.



"I'd much rather we take the incident off the pitch and we deal with it. Obviously the referee has a role to play within that. But we'll be briefing our players on what's acceptable and what's not.



"[Racist behaviour] has been a major concern for us. I wrote to Uefa very recently expressing our concerns – and also to Zenit. The most we can do is make our feelings clear ahead of the game, and hope that we get an adequate response and adequate support on the night."



Back in December, a Zenit fan group wrote an open letter to the club calling for the exclusion of gay and non-white players from the club.

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Rafael: 'I know what Cristiano can do'

Manchester United defender Rafael da Silva has insisted that he is prepared to face Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League tomorrow night.

Rafael spent one season playing alongside Ronaldo at Old Trafford before the Portuguese winger moved to Real Madrid in 2009.



The Brazilian full-back will come up against his former teammate at the Bernabeu on Wednesday but believes that Ronaldo will offer nothing he has not seen before at close quarters.



He told reporters: "I know what he can do because I played and trained with him a lot.



"So he's not the type of opponent where you would say 'he's good but I don't know what he can do'. I know what he can do. If you concentrate, that's the key, reading the game. For me, he's the best player in the world.



"I think he's the complete player and I really like him. I think he's the number one. I'm sure he'll get a good reception back here [at Old Trafford]. I think it'll be massive."



The 22-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Old Trafford, establishing himself as a first-choice defender under Sir Alex Ferguson.

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Eto'o: "The leaders of the FCF want to kill me"

In a recent interview Samuel Eto'o accused the Cameroonian Football Federation (FCF) of "wanting to kill him" following his claims last year of mismanagement in football in his homeland.



In a two-hour video interview published online by the Cameroonian magazine 'Je Wande' and broadcast on local television, the Anzhi striker claims he received "death threats" from the FCF. "The leaders of the FCF want to attack my life, they want to kill me," said the former Mallorca player.



"I live with a group of gendarmes and one sleeping in front of my door. I do this not out of snobbery, but for my own safety." said Eto'o. "I cannot put the team jerseys on, I get mine directly from Puma,".



"I don't eat with my teammates to avoid being poisoned", he said, describing the Cameroonian football officials as "incompetent" and "corrupt" and demanding their resignation.



Until recently one of the leading African football teams,Cameroon has missed two straight editions of the Africa Cup of Nations. Eto'o - currently in South Africa to attend the final -, refused to play in Cameroon’s last friendly against Tanzania. The ‘Indomitable Lions' lost 1-0 against their lowly rival.



The interview was done in 'camfranglais', a dialect that, as its name suggests, mixes French, English and Cameroonian expressions from the slums of the big cities where Eto'o himself grew up.

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Anzhi director says QPR were 'out of their minds' to splash out on Samba

Harry Redknapp and gambles in the transfer market goes hand in glove, but even by his standards the package to take Chris Samba to Loftus Road was risky.



While most people were scratching their heads that the club would pay £12.5 million and offer £100,000 a week over four and a half years for the former Blackburn centre-half, it seems Anzi Makhachkala themselves couldn’t get over the offer made for their Congolese defender.



Director of the big-spending Russian club German Tkachenko said that the club wept – in a good way – when the offer came in and think that the London club were out of their minds to pay such sums in order to get the defender.



“At QPR he will earn almost as much as he did at Anzhi. In my view QPR have lost their minds,” he told Russian media.



“When they agreed to pay his release fee we wept. He [Samba] wept. Everybody says that he ran away from the club, but that's not true. He didn't put any pressure on the club until we received an offer from QPR for £12.5m, the amount required by his contract,” he added.



He did suggest that Samba is also one of the top five defenders in Europe, but maybe he sees qualities most others don’t.



Seven points adrift of safety, Samba will need to tighten up a porous defence very quickly or we will soon be looking at perhaps the highest earning player ever to feature in the Championship.

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Scholes left out of United squad

Paul Scholes has been left out of Manchester United's travelling squad for their Champions League encounter with Real Madrid. Scholes has been sidelined by a knee injury since the FA Cup win over Fulham on January 26th but did train at the club's Carrington training ground on this morning.



However, when United left for Spain for their last-16 first-leg clash, Scholes was not part of Alex Ferguson's 22-man squad.



Although Scholes was unlikely to start anyway, his absence does rob United of some valuable experience for their meeting with the nine-time trophy winners.



The positive news was that Ashley Young made the journey after recovering from his knee injury. In addition, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones have overcome the niggles that forced them to be substituted during Sunday's win over Everton.



By opting to remain in Manchester for their final training session, as they have done all season, Ferguson was aiming to keep his plans for the game secret.



It has been predicted Jones will be handed a midfield holding role, after successfully shackling Gareth Bale and Marouane Fellaini in recent weeks.



Ferguson has plenty of alternatives though, which include Tom Cleverley and Anderson, even though Michael Carrick is amongst those virtually certain to start.



Real were hardly any more forthcoming, opting to do their stretching session on the furthest pitch away from the cameras and not doing any meaningful work until after the media had left.



Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is expected to be fit and did train this morning despite doubts being expressed in the Spanish media about his participation.



Local reports also suggest up to 5,000 United fans will fly in for the game, a significant number of them without tickets.



And, whilst many observers believe Real are slight favourites, it appears the Spanish media are concerned as daily newspaper Marca has depicted Wayne Rooney as 'a freckled demon' who is 'built like a barrel packed with gunpowder' and on his way to 'blow up the Bernabeu'.



Not that Rooney has any great memories of the stadium, where he had to be hauled off for his own good by Sven Goran Eriksson in 2004 as he risked a first-half red card in a friendly against Spain which was marred by racist taunts at some of the visiting players.



"I've played at the Bernabeu once before for England against Spain, but it wasn't a good experience to be honest," Rooney said on his Facebook page. "I got subbed just before half-time, and didn't really get many touches because Spain kept the ball really well.



"Hopefully this time it will go a lot better."

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Keane wants Lampard at Galaxy

Los Angeles Galaxy striker Robbie Keane believes the addition of Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard would bring a huge boost to the MLS club.



Lampard has yet to be offered an extension to his contract at Stamford Bridge - which expires at the end of the season - prompting speculation linking the 34-year-old with a move to the United States.



"Listen, we need players like that, and bringing in a Frank Lampard would obviously be good for the team," Keane told reporters.



"So hopefully, we will see him soon."



Former Tottenham striker Keane also commented on the future of Galaxy star Landon Donovan, who has previously indicated he was considering retirement in 2013.



The United States international, who has had two loan spells in the English Premier League with Everton, is expected to return to Bruce Arena's Galaxy squad ahead of the upcoming MLS season.



And Keane has insisted, although he has not spoken to his team-mate, any decision Donovan makes on his future should be respected.



"You have to respect someone's decision about what they want to do with their life," Keane said.



"For me, I enjoy being paid to do what I love. I can only speak on my experience, you have to respect someone's decision. If you need time off, you need time off."



Keane penned an extension to his LA Galaxy contract recently after reports emerged of a possible return to the Premier League with Queens Park Rangers in January.



The ex-Liverpool man said that it was an easy decision and expressed his happiness at being part of a growing league.



"I was happy here and there was no reason for me not to sign," Keane said.



"There's a lot of players in England that I speak to now even, younger players that want to come over here and play ... I was training with Tottenham for a couple weeks and a lot of the lads were asking how the league is going."

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Tottenham striker Defoe arrested

Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe was arrested by police investigating alleged threats to kill two women following the disappearance of jewels and clothing worth £200,000 from his home.



Defoe's belongings went missing when two of his cousins invited the women to a party at his mansion in Hertfordshire in the player's absence and when the 30-year-old England player returned home to find his possessions missing, he allegedly told his cousins to get them back.



Later on, the women claimed they were threatened, although not by Defoe or his two cousins. An 18-year-old is facing trial later this year after being accused of threats to kill.



Defoe was released without charge after being questioned by detectives. Tottenham Hotspur did not comment on the incident.



Defoe has previously won a compensation payout after being wrongly held in a police cell for five hours.



The footballer was pulled over while driving his £75,000 Land Rover at 2.40am in Loughton, Essex, on July 27, 2009, because officers believed he was serving a drive ban.



He was taken to Harlow police station where he was held for several hours despite telling officers the disqualification had been lifted pending appeal.



But the player was only released after 9.00am when court officials in Chelmsford confirmed he wasn't banned from driving.



Police agreed to a four-figure payout and apologised to Defoe last year after a three-year legal fight.



Essex Deputy Chief Constable Derek Benson confirmed an inputting error meant Defoe’s records were wrong.



His solicitor Nick Freeman said: "This was always about principle and never about money. The damages will be donated to charity.



"This was a needless error which should not have occurred, but once it did the police should have accepted our assurances in the early hours of the morning that they had got it wrong."



Days after the wrongful arrest, Defoe also accused Essex Police of harassment when he was stopped in a black Ferrari in Chigwell as part of an operation to tackle the theft of luxury motors.

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Henderson turns attention to Russia trip

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson believes Thursday's Europa League tie in St Petersburg provides a chance to put their surprise defeat to West Brom behind them.



The Reds dominated at Anfield - Steven Gerrard having a penalty saved by Ben Foster - but were stung by goals in the last nine minutes from Gareth McAuley and Romelu Lukaku.



That ended a run of three successive home victories, in which they had scored 12 and not conceded, and came after encouraging back-to-back draws against Arsenal and Manchester City in their previous two matches.



With the confidence bubble burst and hopes of a top-four finish in tatters, trailing Tottenham by 12 points with a dozen games remaining, Henderson believes a return to European action can provide an important boost.



"We just have to keep going, keep our heads up and bounce back from this," the England international said ahead of tomorrow's trip to face Zenit St Petersburg.



"We just have to stay positive and think about the next game now which is Zenit in the Europa League on Thursday night.



"We know the European game is important as well but I think every game is important to be honest.



"We will keep improving and make sure we keep going in the right direction.



"Hopefully we can improve, get some better results in the league and look to close that gap.



"We have to take each game as it comes and play well every week and hopefully we will get better results than last night."



West Brom arrived at Anfield with a gameplan to press and stifle and they achieved that to a greater extent, although they were indebted to Foster for a string of saves to keep the scores level.



Liverpool missed the cutting edge provided by £12million January signing Daniel Sturridge, who was sidelined with a thigh injury after scoring four goals in six appearances.



"Daniel is a quality player and everyone has seen that since he's come in," added Henderson.



"You obviously miss good players and that was the case.



"We're all very disappointed. We had a few chances in the game but we just couldn't take them.



"We just have to stay positive and concentrate on the next game.



"The manager didn't have much to say after. We all know we didn't play particularly well but we have to move on.



"I don't think we passed the ball as well as we could have done. We didn't play particularly well.



"We had a lot of the ball but we didn't create as much as we have been doing.



"It's a game we could have won but it just wasn't our night.



"It's frustrating but that's football. You have to take these things on board and learn from it."



Forward Fabio Borini is looking for a personal boost from the Europa League having struggled to get up to match sharpness after his return from a broken foot in recent weeks.



The Italian has made just one start - in the shock FA Cup defeat at Oldham - and three substitute appearances but is likely to be given a chance in Russia.



His only goal in 15 appearances since arriving for £10.5million from Roma in the summer came in August's Europa League qualifier against Gomel.



Borini feels he has benefited from gaining European experience and hopes to build on that further.



"It has been very helpful to my career," he told Press Association Sport.



"I played a couple of games in the Europa League before I got injured and it has been really good because it is a different way of football to the Premier League.



"You have to be organised. You have to take care of not conceding first and then you think about scoring because not to concede away goals is important."

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Lloris aiming for top three

Hugo Lloris believes Tottenham have the ability to challenge for a place in the top three of the Premier League.



Spurs are currently fourth in the table, just a point behind Chelsea, although they trail runaway leaders Manchester United by 17 points with 12 games remaining.



But goalkeeper Lloris believes his side are closing in on the likes of United, Manchester City and Chelsea, although he is also wary of slipping up in the race for fourth place this season.



"Today, there's United, City and Chelsea who are a cut above, and who have more financial means. But Tottenham is just behind," said Lloris, who joined Spurs from Thursday's opponents Lyon last summer.



"The club has been trying to establish itself in the top four for some years now.



"For the minute, the season has been promising, but the hardest part is yet to come because there are still a number of key matches to be played and we'll have to be ready for that.



"For the moment, we're well-placed, though we're not beyond a possible charge by Arsenal."



Lloris had to be patient after initially making the move to England due to Andre Villas-Boas keeping faith with Brad Friedel.



Now established as the first-choice goalkeeper at Spurs, Lloris reckons the experience of challenging Friedel for the position has made him stronger.



"Things were very clear, that I was coming to Tottenham as the number one," he told RTL.



"But the manager made a decision at the start, and then made a different one a few weeks later. The negotiations over the move were with the chairman, but it was also the choice of the coach. I also had talks with him during that time.



"It's not easy, because I came in after the start of the season, and he was already under pressure because the results were not good at that point in time. It's the sort of situation which helps you grow, it's a personal challenge."

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The top stories from papers and websites - 12 February 2013

• Former Manchester United keeper Peter Schmeichel claims Jose Mourinho will never be manager at Old Trafford.


• Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer last night admitted he dreams of managing United.


• Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has threatened to quit Fulham at the end of the season if he is not given assurances that he remains the club's No 1.


• Striker Rickie Lambert insists he wants to finish his career at Southampton despite being linked with several Premier League rivals.


• Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda has criticised the club for excluding him from the first team squad.


• Defender Alex Pearce is set to snub West Brom and Sunderland and sign a new deal at Reading.


• West Brom are eyeing a summer move for Leeds United full-back Sam Byram, 19, who is also being tracked by Liverpool and Everton.


• Wolves are keen to sign Reading defender Kaspars Gorkss, 31, on loan for the rest of the season.


• Championship side Huddersfield are closing in on Coventry City's Mark Robins as their new boss.

• Gary Neville has warned Manchester United that Cristiano Ronaldo is a "monster" who "bullies" teams out of games.


• Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez claims he is not bitter towards the Stamford Bridge boo-boys.


• Brighton boss Gus Poyet is the shock name in the frame if West Ham do not renew Sam Allardyce's contract at the end of the season.


• Hull City boss Steve Bruce wants to sign Peterborough striker George Boyd on loan - but will have to pay a hefty 'rental' fee.

• Roberto Mancini will wield his axe as he looks to save his job and crumbling season.


• Rio Ferdinand fears the only way to stop Cristiano Ronaldo is to turn him into an emotional wreck.

• Manchester United's pursuit of striker Robert Lewandowski has suffered a double setback due to interest from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund's £25.5m price tag.


• Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham are on alert after 21-year-old Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen rejected a new contract with Dutch champions Ajax.


• Gary Neville has warned Manchester United they cannot beat Real Madrid unless they tame the 'monster' that is Cristiano Ronaldo.

• Liverpool are considering a summer move for Malaga's 28-year-old Chilean playmaker Manuel Itarra, who could be available for £3m.


• Rio Ferdinand geared up for Manchester United's reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo here tomorrow by suggesting the club will smother him with love.


• Arsenal have offered a short trial spell to Portuguese youngster Indio, who plays for Brazilian side Vasco da Gama.


• Manchester United are thought to be lining up a move for Juventus forward Mirko Vucinic.


• Monaco look set to test Manchester City's resolve by launching a double bid for Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri.

• Roman Abramovich's search for his 10th Chelsea manager in 10 years suffered a setback when Jurgen Klopp, one of Europe's best young coaches, pledged his future to Borussia Dortmund.


• Midfielder Stephen Ireland, 26, has been frozen out at Aston Villa and forced to train with the club's youth team.

• Roberto Mancini has vowed to make widespread changes for Manchester City's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Leeds United on Sunday as the rift between him and his squad widens.


• Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra are hopeful Cristiano Ronaldo will be overcome with emotion as they plot a way to thwart their formidable former team-mate.

• Manchester United must avoid the "nightmare scenario" of Cristiano Ronaldo going one-on-one against a former team-mate, the club's former captain Gary Neville said.


• The rift between Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini and his players is widening.

• Real Madrid have already hatched a £38m plan to bring Tottenham star Gareth Bale to the Bernabeu in the summer.

• Chelsea are prepared to allow Thibaut Courtois to permanently join Atletico Madrid in a bid to bring the Liga side's Colombian superstar Radamel Falcao to Stamford Bridge.

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Liverpool 0-2 West Bromwich Albion

West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster included a Steven Gerrard penalty among a string of saves which laid the platform for the Baggies to record their first league win since St Stephen's Day.



The former England international denied the Liverpool captain twice, once from the spot, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Agger, Stewart Downing and Fabio Borini.



And when Gareth McAuley headed home West Brom's first effort on target in the 81st minute it set up their first league double over the Reds - having won 3-0 on the opening day of the season - since 1966-67, with substitute Romelu Lukaku's 90th-minute striking giving the scoreline an unbalanced look.



All the promise of performances in draws against Arsenal and Manchester City was wiped away in 90 torturous minutes as Liverpool suffered their first home defeat since mid-December.



West Brom are not supposed to like Mondays. They had not won any of their previous 18 top-flight away matches on this day, a run stretching back 44 years to March 1969.



However, they appeared more than comfortable in a disappointing first half which saw both teams manage just two shots on target between them.



Both of those were registered by the hosts as the Baggies were not intent on showing much adventure but with Liverpool not clicking into any sort of gear they were not in much danger either.



With Daniel Sturridge's thigh problem not being risked the Reds were shorn of the pacy, incisive running which caused the Premier League champions so many problems in the 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium.



Replacement Jonjo Shelvey was given his first league appearance since 26 December, playing in the hole as Luis Suarez was restored to the out-and-out striker role but he pair failed to get in the way Sturridge has.



The 20-year-old did put the ball in the net early on but was well offside, which sort of set the tone for the half which was briefly enlivened by Suarez producing a brilliant behind-the-leg cross.



Agger had a header tipped over by Foster, who also caught Stewart Downing's stinging drive at the second attempt.



The closest Liverpool actually came to scoring in the first half was when Steven Reid's attempted left-footed clearance of Shelvey's low cross cannoned off his standing leg and looped over the crossbar from four yards.



A lack of fluidity and crispness was noticeably absent in Liverpool's passing game as the Baggies harried and hassled and tried to stifle as much of their opponents' movement as possible.



Every pass from the hosts seemed half-a-yard too short or long and their control of the ball wasteful.



Improvements were made by Brendan Rodgers for the second half as Downing had a shot blocked and Gerrard's follow-up was crowded out before Henderson's cheeky close-range backheel from Glen Johnson's pass was stopped by Foster.



With an hour gone more work was required and Raheem Sterling and Borini were sent on for the ineffective Shelvey and the tiring Henderson.



Borini was denied by a fully-stretched West Brom goalkeeper after lashing Downing's lay-off goalwards, McAuley slid in to block Suarez's shot and the wrong-footed Foster stuck out a hand to stop Gerrard's drive.



But having dominated proceedings Liverpool were hit with the sucker punch nine minutes from time.



Chris Brunt swung over a right-wing corner and McAuley had a free run in the area to power home a header.



Liverpool went chasing the game and were exposed even later on when Lukaku, having originally been dropped to the bench, stroked home their second.



Having picked up just one point from a possible 18 the victory was vital in halting the Baggies' slide down the table.



It also extended Liverpool's unwanted record of still not having beaten a team in the top half of the Premier League this season as they saw West Brom leapfrog them into eighth.

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Dante reveals Neymar interest

Bayern Munich centre-back Dante has admitted he has spoken with Santos striker Neymar regarding a move to the Allianz Arena.

The highly-rated forward has been linked with a move to the Bundesliga frontrunners, along with the likes of Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Whilst on international duty with Brazil, Dante has revealed he spoke to Neymar regarding a move to Bayern, as the defender hopes his Samba Boys team-mate will join the Bavarian outfit.

He told Sky Sports: "I told Neymar there is nothing better than Bayern Munich.

"I said it would be a great club for him."

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Eriksen will not sign new Ajax deal

The Christian Eriksen saga at Ajax has taken another twist after it was revealed that he does not want to sign a new deal at the club.



The 20-year-old is one of Europe's brightest prospects and a number of top clubs have shown an interest in the midfielder.

Premier League giants Manchester United and Liverpool have both been linked with the Denmark international who, just last week, refused to give anything away about his future and made it clear that he was focused on life in Amsterdam.

But now the club's technical director Marc Overmars has lifted the lid on the situation surrounding the player and confessed that the youngster is prepared to wait and see which clubs firm up their interest before deciding on his future.

"Christian has informed us that he doesn't want to sign a new contract right now," he said. "I think he and his agent want to see what opportunities present themselves this summer.

"We want him to stay here for at least two more years, but the day he leaves us, he will be ready to play for the very best. He's a player even the biggest clubs in the world could do with having in their squad."

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Ancelotti is uncertain about his future

Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti is uncertain about his future with the club

He has not yet opened talks over extending his contract with president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.



Ancelotti joined in December 2011 on a two-and-a-half year deal, but the final year is optional and must be renewed by PSG, who currently top Ligue 1, depending on results this season.



The Italian tells L'Equipe: "We will see how things stand at the end of the season and, if the club is happy, and me too, we will continue," but he adds: "If the club is not happy, I will have no problem changing."

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Martin Kelly eyes end-of-season return

Liverpool defender Martin Kelly has claimed that he intends to return to fitness by the end of the season.

The 22-year-old has been absent for the Reds since September, when he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.



"I've been taking my time with this injury and making sure that I'm spot on with all parts of the rehab," Kelly told the official website.



"This is not an injury that you can mess about with, so I've been taking it steadily. We're hitting all the targets and I should be fit before the end of the season."



Kelly recently penned a new long-term deal at Anfield.

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Sergio Ramos aims to stop Van Persie

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has insisted that the Spanish giants must be aware of Manchester United's in-form striker Robin van Persie.

The Dutchman is likely to start against Los Blancos in the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 clash at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.



"Van Persie is on very, very good form," The Guardian quotes Ramos as saying. "We hadn't seen him this good for years. He's quick, strikes the ball well, he's a constant nuisance.



"[Wayne] Rooney's different. He's hard-work, heavy going. He enjoys the physical challenge. I prefer that, to be honest. I like that defender versus striker battle, that challenge."



Meanwhile, former United defender Gary Neville believes that the Red Devils will have to double up on Cristiano Ronaldo in order to stop him from controlling the game.

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Downing in limbo over Liverpool future

Liverpool winger Stewart Downing has suggested that he could leave Anfield in the summer transfer window.



The 28-year-old has managed to fight his way back into the team under manager Brendan Rodgers, and while he has stated that he is "happy" under the current regime, he has hinted that he is not guaranteed a place at the Merseyside club.



"I'm happy with how it's going at the minute, but whether that changes in the summer I don't know," Sky Sports News quotes Downing as saying.



Downing moved to Liverpool from Aston Villa in 2011.

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Buffon: 'Juventus can win Champions League'

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon believes that his side can win the Champions League this season.

The Italian champions will take on Celtic in the last 16, the first leg of which will be played in Glasgow on Tuesday.



"Juventus are back at top level of European football again - and we believe this could be our year," he told the Scottish Sun.



"We showed in the two games against the current European Champions Chelsea that we should now be taken very seriously.



"We have got a squad full of quality - and there is a real determination that this will not just be our season in Italy but also in Europe."



Buffon added that Juventus are not underestimating Celtic and admits that winning in Glasgow will be difficult.



"We are taking Celtic very seriously for sure," said the 35-year-old.



"Not just in beating Barcelona, but their performance in the group stages in general showed they are a very dangerous team.



"Especially in Glasgow it will be very tough. All the Celtic supporters will be fired up - but we are normally used to playing in such atmospheres."



Juventus last won the Champions League in 1996.

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Starting role delights Lamps

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard admits he is delighted by his recent form for both club and country.

Lampard celebrate his goal against Brazil in a friendly game last week.

The 34-year-old is the subject of continuing speculation as to where he will be playing his club football next season - but served up a reminder of his powers with his ninth goal in his last 14 Blues appearances in Saturday's 4-1 win over Wigan.

Lampard, who may yet be offered a new contract by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, then continued his good form in England's 2-1 friendly win over Brazil in midweek as he coolly side-footed home the winner.

"It's not rocket science: the more you play you get sharper and you get match fit," Lampard told Chelsea TV. "Since I've been able to play regularly I feel like I've got sharpness and the confidence.

"I'm 34, you still need confidence of playing regular games. It certainly helps me, to get flow in your game; you ask any player that, I'm not on my own there.

"When you're playing regularly and you do start playing well, scoring goals, whatever position you're in, it's enjoyable to keep playing and it helps.



"You have to have an eye on the squad - it is a long season - so I'm not expecting, or asking, to play every single game. (But) it seems to me recently I've been able to play every three or four days, I've enjoyed it."

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Sir Alex wary of Madrid threat

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says the UEFA Champions League is Real Madrid's ultimate goal ahead of Wednesday's last-16 first leg at the Bernabeu.



Los Blancos are currently 16 points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona and have recently slipped up against Granada, Valencia and Osasuna domestically.

With little hope of defending their Spanish crown, Ferguson believes opposite number Jose Mourinho will be determined to steer Real to claiming Europe's top trophy for the first time in 11 years at Wembley in May.

Ferguson said: "I think their target is the European Cup. They got a bad start in the league and were chasing their tail a bit because Barcelona's form has been incredible. I think Jose has set his targets firmly on the European Cup, no doubt about that.

"It can be harder for us but there's a bit of pressure for them too. At this moment in time we're involved in three things. Jose has still got the semi-final of the Copa del Rey, they play Barca next week and then again in a league game before we play them on the Tuesday at Old Trafford. So they've got a big programme themselves.



"You look at English football and say it's a very, very difficult programme and every game is hard but you look at Madrid's programme at the moment and it's also very difficult. Every game is hard."

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Mancini ready to wield the axe

Roberto Mancini is ready to wield the axe on his misfiring Manchester City stars for this weekend's FA Cup fifth round tie with Leeds.

The City boss was furious with his team after their 3-1 defeat at Southampton as they fell 12 points behind Manchester United in the Premier League title race.

And Mancini insist he will only select players he believes are ready to roll their sleeves up for the cause.

"I am sure we will change that, because I will change players next week. I only want players who are ready for the fight in the last 12 games," he told the Manchester Evening News.

"I am very angry with a lot of my players, and very disappointed at the performance, because it is impossible to play the way we did.

"We didn't fight for every ball. We can't always win by playing well - that is normal. Sometimes we play well and win, but you also need to be able to win because you fight for every ball, and fight against an opponent who also wants to win the game.

"Every team that plays against us treats it like a Champions League final, but we should know this, it is normal.

"We now have 12 games left, (we) need to do well in the Premier League, and we have the FA Cup - there are games left and we can do better. We need to finish the season the way we did last year."

Carlos Tevez should be available against Leeds after missing the St Mary's defeat because of a family issue.

Defenders Matija Nastasic and Kolo Toure also missed the trip to the south coast after late returns from international duty.

Mancini branded the fixture demands caused by the internationals "ridiculous" but he spared his defence - which included midfielder Javi Garcia playing as a makeshift centre-back - from criticism.

"The fixtures are ridiculous sometimes, as we played on Saturday and then had six players who came back on Friday, and five who came back Thursday night. Sometimes it is impossible," he said.



"Nastasic came back Friday and Kolo came back three or four days ago - plus the last time Javi Garcia played there, he played really, really well.

"On Saturday we played well in defence, but the problem was that we didn't give the defenders any help. They were left to play alone, and we conceded two goals the like of which I have never seen in my life."

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Clarke hails Kenny's signings

West Brom head coach Steve Clarke says the players brought to Anfield by former manager Kenny Dalglish are starting to shine, making Liverpool one of the most improved teams in the Premier League.

Clarke was Dalglish's right-hand man during their 18-month spell together on Merseyside.

And Clarke is well aware of the difficult task facing his Baggies' side when he returns to Liverpool on Monday.

He said: "I'm looking forward to it. I made a lot of friends and I've got a lot of good memories from my time there.

"I liked the passion of the people. They are very fair-minded and honest supporters who wanted their team to be entertaining and do well.

"There was some success. There were two cup final appearances. One was victorious and one was a defeat.

"I'm not surprised now at all some of the younger players are starting to flourish, or some of the more experienced ones that Kenny signed.

"For Stewart Downing to be in the team and Jordan Henderson, as well as Jose Enrique, and doing really well, is good.



"Luis Suarez has really settled into the club now and, if you look at it at this stage, Liverpool are probably playing the best football in the Premier League."

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Gordon set to hang up boots

Former Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon may be forced into an early retirement by a persistent knee injury.



The 30-year-old became the most expensive goalkeeper in the history of British football in 2007 when the Black Cats paid Hearts £9m for his services - but his career has since been hampered by several serious injuries.

Two broken arms and the knee problem plagued the latter years of his stay at the Stadium of Light, and he has been without a club this season - seen most recently in a coaching capacity at Dumbarton.

The Scotland international said: "It's very unlikely I will be playing again this season. In fact I'm not sure if I'll play again, so I'm looking to get into coaching as I want to remain in the game.

"I'm not ruling out playing again, but I need to get things in place if the news is not good in that respect. I've had a couple of surgeries on it, but it's definitely not back to 100 per cent yet.

"Hopefully I can get back to playing with a bit of pain. It's about getting to a stage where I can get what I need to out of the knee.



"That's part of the reason I wanted to go into coaching, you don't know when the end might come for playing. I'm certainly not ready to throw in the towel just yet but it's been a long time and I don't know where I'll be going in the future."

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Mourinho relishing huge tie

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is relishing the chance to face Manchester United again as the sides prepare for their Champions League showdown.



The Spanish champions welcome the Red Devils to the Bernabeu on Wednesday for the first leg - and Mourinho hopes the teams rise to the occasion.

The Portuguese, who was at Old Trafford to see United beat Everton 2-0 on Sunday, told MUTV: "It is the match the world is waiting for. People think we are under pressure because a big team will be out.

"But it is the kind of match we want and the people are not waiting for any other game. I hope we give them what they want."

On pitting his wits against old foe Sir Alex Ferguson, the former Chelsea boss added: "I feel privileged about that because he is such an important person in the world of football and, more importantly, he is good person.

"I have always had a fantastic relationship with him and I am proud of it. We have had so many matches between us which started with Porto. We had some with Chelsea, Inter and now Real. Some I had won, some I have lost, others I have drawn.



"Of course, I want to win and he wants to win, but I believe the loser will have a little bit of space to feel a little bit happy because of the friendship. But make no mistake, I want to win."

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Enrique warns Odemwingie

Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique has warned Peter Odemwingie to expect some stick from the players and fans at Anfield if he makes his West Brom return on Monday night.



The Baggies confirmed on Friday they have taken disciplinary action against Odemwingie following his attempts to push through a move to QPR on transfer deadline day.

The club also said the Nigerian striker is available for first-team selection again after issuing an apology over the incident.

Enrique believes Odemwingie could be given a hard time by both the home fans and players on Merseyside should he make his comeback.

He said: "I'm not the type of player who would wind him up. But there will be songs and he will get it from other players.

"They will try to make him angry.

"I'm not this type of player. But a lot of players will do it."

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The top stories from papers and websites - 05 February 2013

• Liverpool played a Champions League game unaware the opposing keeper was caught up in a match-fixing plot.


• Neymar is in no rush to leave Santos despite interest from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea.


• AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani believes Mario Balotelli is as good as Lionel Messi.


• Peter Odemwingie can expect a frosty reception from his West Brom team-mates when they return to training this week.

• QPR striker Loic Remy is out for two months - leaving Harry Redknapp fuming at the club's failure to sign Peter Odemwingie.


• Arsenal misfit Andre Santos turned down a move to Galatasaray - but the Turkish club are likely to try again in the summer.


• Leeds will launch a fresh attempt to land Chris Burke when the loan window opens this week.


• Steve Cotterill is in line for a return to Nottingham to take charge of Notts County.


• Steven Reid says Peter Odemwingie's West Brom team-mates will only accept him back if the club order them to.

• Peter Odemwingie was back training at West Brom yesterday.


• England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce expects talks over a new contract to be held over until the summer.

• QPR are still locked in a pay-off dispute with former manager Mark Hughes, who is chasing the £4.5million left on his contract.


• Stuart Pearce's future as England Under-21 coach has been cast in doubt.

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