Aston Villa 1 Stoke City 2:Victor Moses spoils Sherwood´s Villa bow

Stoke City came from behind to earn a 2-1 Premier League win and spoil Tim Sherwood's first match in charge of Aston Villa.

A stoppage-time penalty from Victor Moses spoiled Tim Sherwood's first match in charge of Aston Villa as Stoke City earned a 2-1 victory in Saturday's Premier League match.

Sherwood saw his side remain in the bottom three after Ron Vlaar hauled down Moses, with the forward coolly converting from 12 yards after the defender had seen red.

Scott Sinclair was able to take one of the few chances the home side created as he headed in his first top-flight goal since August 2012 after 20 minutes, but Stoke restored parity before the break.

Mame Biram Diouf met Stephen Ireland's cross seven yards from goal and placed his header past Brad Guzan on the goalkeeper's 100th successive league start.

A second half devoid of quality and chances failed to lift the atmosphere inside Villa Park, with Stoke slightly edging proceedings before Moses' winner.

Villa drop a place in the table after the defeat, while Stoke remain mid-table.

Despite the presence of their new manager Villa made a cautious start, with Stoke creating the opening effort on goal in the 16th minute, Ireland – on his Stoke return – meeting Marc Wilson's cross but failing to stretch Guzan.

The deadlock was broken four minutes later as Sinclair netted the opening goal, the on-loan forward getting in between two defenders to head home Fabian Delph's cross.

Villa enjoyed a spell of dominance after that as Stoke's defence began to wobble, but they failed to capitalise and slowly the visitors came back into it, with Moses testing Guzan from the edge of the area.

Kieran Richardson – one of four Villa changes – saw his afternoon come to a premature end three minutes before the break due to injury, and it cost the hosts as his replacement Aly Cissokho failed to stop an Ireland cross in the final minute of the half.

The former Villa man produced a precise delivery that Diouf rose to head in under pressure from Vlaar and Ciaran Clark.

Neither side was able to find any rhythm after the restart, which resulted in a scrappy affair, fouls aplenty and a couple of yellow cards from referee Roger East.

Stoke posed more of a threat on the counter-attack with the pace of Diouf and Moses, while Villa introduced Andreas Weimann to spark them into life.

A Mistake from Vlaar gave Moses a run on goal, he was brought down by the Netherlands international and the stoke man rubbed salt in the wound of Villa side.

SOCCER BANKER

     TIMBOWOWW  BANKER

Time	Match	Tip	odd	Result
16.00	Milwall   vs   fulham	2	2.95	LOSE

                 
  ADMIN

Time	Match	Tip	odd	Result
16.00	northampton  vs  york	1	2.60	WON

SOCCER PREDICTION AND SELECTION

Time	Match	Tip	odd	Result
15.30 17.00 18.00 16.00	Mainz             vs    frankfurt  Silkeborg    vs   esbjerg  Cordoba       vs   Valencia Colchester  vs   Bristol city	x   2   2   2	3.40 2.10 1.94 2.00	LOSE WON WON LOSE

                                Total odds  27.7

TIMBOWOWW

  

Time	Match	Tip	odd	Result
16.00 16.00 16.00 13.15	MILWALL                     vs    FULHAM CRYSTAL PALACE    vs   ARSENAL DERBY                         vs   SHEFFIELD WED MIDDLESBOROUGH    vs   LEEDS	2   2   1   1	2.95 1.85 1.67 1.57	LOSE WON WON LOSE

                                Total odds  14.3

ROUGHDIAMOND

Time	Match	Tip	odd	Result
15.30 16.00 16.00 13.15	CHELSEA                    vs   BURNLEY  CRYSTAL PALACE   vs   ARSENAL TROYES                       vs   LE HAVRE SWANSEA                   vs   MAN UTD	1 & 3+ 2 & 2+   1   2	1.71 2.33 1.72 2.02	LOSE WON LOSE LOSE

                                Total odds  13.84

Chelsea suspend more fans after Paris Metro incident

Following alleged racial abuse on the Paris Metro on Tuesday, Chelsea have suspended two more supporters involved from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have suspended a further two fans from attending games at Stamford Bridge following their involvement in alleged racial abuse on the Paris Metro on Tuesday.

The Stamford bridge outfit had already banned three supporters on Thursday, but took that tally to five on Friday.

Video footage surfaced of a number of Chelsea supporters denying a black man access to a train in the French capital prior to the first leg of the club's UEFA Champions League last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain.

The incident has been widely condemned by high-profile figures and organisations within European football, including Chelsea, who have appealed for more information.

A statement from the Premier League leaders read: "If it is deemed there is sufficient evidence of their involvement in the incident, the club will issue banning orders for life."

Souleymane S, the man denied access to the train, will be invited to the second leg of the tie by Chelsea.

Metropolitan Police have also released images of three men that they are looking to talk to regarding their involvement in the incident.

Juventus 2 Atalanta 1: Pirlo perfection seals comeback for leaders

Fernando Llorente's equaliser and an exquisite Andrea Pirlo goal gave Juventus a 2-1 comeback win over lowly Atalanta in Serie A.

An Andrea Pirlo stunner helped Serie A leaders Juventus return to winning ways with a 2-1 triumph over Atalanta.

Massimiliano Allegri made five changes to the side that drew 2-2 at Cesena last time out but his defending champions hinted that they might stumble again when Giulio Migliaccio headed the visitors to Juventus Stadium into a 25th-minute lead.

Fernando Llorente netted a scruffy equaliser six minutes before half-time before midfield maestro Pirlo took centre-stage on the stroke of the interval with a dazzling long-range effort.

Juventus pressed to make the game safe in the second period, Paul Pogba coming closest to extending their lead.

Clear chances dried up during the closing stages of a result that means second-place Roma will kick off 10 points in arrears when they travel to Verona on Sunday.

Atalanta have now lost three consecutive matches and remain precariously perched three points above the relegation zone.

Juventus penned their lowly opponents in their own territory during the opening stages and Llorente might have done better when he steered two Pirlo deliveries off target in the opening 10 minutes.

For all the home dominance, Gianluigi Buffon made the first telling save of the match, thwarting Daniele Baselli from close range.

From the resulting corner, Stefano Colantuono's team stunned the Turin faithful as Migliaccio darted towards the near post and glanced a header against the far upright that crossed the line before Buffon gathered.

Roberto Pereyra could have levelled immediately but an unnecessary touch on the end of Carlos Tevez's low cross allowed goalkeeper Marco Sportiello to smother his eventual shot.

In the 39th minute, Juventus full-back Martin Caceres stormed into the box and was denied by Sportiello. Again, a goalkeeper's good work would go unrewarded as Llorente smuggled home when the subsequent corner prompted an ungainly penalty box scramble.

If the equaliser was ugly, Juventus' second was simply beautiful - Pirlo launching a sumptuous 30-yard strike that swerved and dipped enough to leave Sportiello grasping at air.

The Atalanta keeper saved remarkably to keep out Pogba's close-range header in the 53rd minute.

A few moments after squaring up to Lionel Scaloni and earning a yellow card, Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio caught a boot in the face from Luca Cigarini but was not awarded a penalty.

Tevez saw an effort bravely blocked and Atalanta defender Andrea Masiello made an excellent last-ditch challenge to deny substitute Alvaro Morata in the 84th minute, while Migliaccio again timed his run superbly to hand Juventus a late scare as he headed wide.

Having returned to winning ways, Allegri's men now look towards games against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League and Roma in Serie A that could prove to be defining moments in their season.

Soccer bet ticket

1306 Mainz - Eintracht Frankfurt 21/02/15 15:30 X 3.40

8878 Cordoba - Valencia 21/02/15 18:00 2 1.92

3208 Colchester - Bristol City 21/02/15 16:00 2 2.00

7708 Silkeborg - Esbjerg 21/02/15 17:00 2 2.10

Selected events:

4

Amount:    ₦   5,000.00
Odd :	27.42
Win :	₦   137,088.00
Bonus :	₦  5,483.52
Total win:	₦   142,571.52

Gerrard will not captain Galaxy - Keane

Los Angeles Galaxy captain Robbie Keane denied he will hand over the armband to incoming star Steven Gerrard.

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard will not captain the Los Angeles Galaxy when he completes his lucrative move to the United States in July, according to MLS MVP Robbie Keane.

Gerrard will link up with Galaxy once his Liverpool contract expires at the end of the 2014-15 Premier League after signing an 18-month deal with the MLS champions in January.

The 34-year-old former England international - a Designated Player - is expected to play a key role for Bruce Arena's men but that will not involve wearing the captain's armband.

Republic of Ireland international Keane has no intention of relinquishing the captaincy, having led the team since 2013.

"He is arriving as an addition, not as a replacement as captain," Keane told reporters in Dublin.

"I have spoken to Steven and he is excited about the challenge of coming to LA Galaxy. He is going to be a great addition to our squad."

Galaxy kick-off their championship defence against Chicago Fire at Stubhub Center in Carson on March 6.

Tunisia appeals CAF ban

Tunisia have appealed a ban from the African Football Confederation following the aftermath of their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.

Having been banned by the African Football Confederation (CAF) for alleged accusations of bias, Tunisia have appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Tunisia looked set to be expelled from the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, with Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) president Wadie Jary issued with a ban - pending a letter of apology - over the suggestions following their 2-1 defeat to Equatorial Guinea.

Tunisia were incensed by a number of decisions from referee Seechurn Rajindraparsad, including a controversial penalty in second-half stoppage time, with players and officials from Tunisia confronting the official on the pitch at full-time amid unrest in the stands at Estadio de Bata.

With an apology demanded from the FTF, AFCON officials opted to ban Jary from all CAF activity until an apology his made, while warning that the FTF must meet certain criteria by March 31 in order to participate in AFCON 2017.

However, Tunisia have seemingly opted not to apologise and will instead appeal the decision to CAS.

"The FTF's statement of appeal is accompanied with a request for a stay. An arbitration procedure has been initiated and is being conducted in accordance with the Code of Sports-related Arbitration," read a CAS statement.

Crystal Palace v Arsenal: Returning pair set to boost Wenger

Arsene Wenger could recall Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Arsenal's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Arsenal could be boosted by the return of Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain going into Saturday's Premier League trip to Crystal Palace.

Wilshere has not featured for Arsenal since late November due to an ankle injury while Oxlade-Chamberlain has been out for a month following a groin problem.

However, both could play a part for Wenger at Selhurst Park as Arsenal look to put the pressure on fourth-place Southampton, who play Liverpool on Sunday.

Wenger's men have won their last four meetings with Palace although this weekend the Frenchman will be without Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), Mikel Arteta (ankle) and Mathieu Debuchy (shoulder).

"Jack is fine. [Oxlade-Chamberlain] is close, he will join in normal training," Wenger told the club's official website.

"Ramsey is still out. The two other injuries are Arteta and Debuchy. Apart from that we have some uncertainties about [Mathieu] Flamini and [Hector] Bellerin - they are doubtful for Saturday. Everybody else is OK.

"Bellerin is his ankle and Flamini has a tight hamstring. We’ll see. We'll have tests [on Friday]."

Wenger's side have taken 12 points from their last possible 15, with a north London derby defeat their only real low point of recent weeks - form that has partly led Alan Pardew to describe the clash as a "bonus game" for his Palace side.

With Yannick Bolasie and Mile Jedinak only recently back from international competitions - the latter a doubt for this weekend due to an ankle knock - and Yaya Sanogo ineligible against his parent club, Pardew feels a draw would represent a major result for his side.

"I've had to be patient a little bit because Bolasie, Mile, [Marouane] Chamakh's had injuries and Yaya will obviously miss this game," he told reporters.

"We've not actually got it all together and I don't think this weekend we will.

"We're not quite there but by the time we get to West Ham, Southampton, we're going to be pretty close hopefully.

"So, this for us in a way is a bonus game, because no-one will expect us to get anything really.

"If we can get a point, or three points, it would be a massive boost for us."

James McArthur (thigh) and Jonathan Williams (groin) are also likely absentees as Palace look to pull further clear of danger, having obtained 10 points from a possible 15 since Pardew's arrival from Newcastle United.

Mancini rues inter complacency

Inter allowed Celtic back into their UEFA Europa League clash on Thursday, according to Roberto Mancini.

Inter coach Roberto Mancini lamented his team's complacency after their 3-3 draw at Celtic in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.

The Serie A outfit gave up a 2-0 lead before going 3-2 up, only for John Guidetti to score with a 93rd-minute equaliser for Celtic.

Mancini rued Inter allowing Celtic back into the contest, and said it was an area of their game they needed to work on.

"If you sit deep against teams like this then sooner or later you're going to concede. We should have tried to hold a higher line. We were tired, though," he told a media conference.

"We got off to a great start in the first half but then we thought the match was over.

"We started playing around and that was our mistake because we let them back into it. That's something we need to improve."

Goals from Xherdan Shaqiri and Rodrigo Palacio in the opening 13 minutes had Inter in control before Stuart Armstrong pulled Celtic back into the contest.

A Hugo Campagnaro own goal less than 60 seconds later had Celtic level before Palacio struck just prior to half-time following an error from Celtic shot-stopper Craig Gordon.

Just as Inter looked set for victory, Guidetti finished well – but Mancini believes it was far from a bad result for his team.

"There's always going to be regret after the way things went tonight but I don't think 3-3 in Glasgow is a bad result," he said.

"We came here looking to take the game to them and it wasn't easy. We made the mistake of taking our foot off the pedal when we were in front."

Mancini defended his decision to start Croatia international Mateo Kovacic on the bench, saying the enormity of the occasion was behind the move.

"A midfielder needs experience and he's not ready yet," he said.

"But the fact he was left out doesn't mean I don't rate him. He'll have chances to play over the coming games because he's an important player."

Balotelli plays down penalty ´drama'

Striker Mario Balotelli played down controversy surrounding his penalty in Liverpool's 1-0 win over Besiktas on Thursday.

Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli thanked Jordan Henderson for letting him take the match-winning penalty in his side's triumph over Besiktas in the UEFA Europa League, and pleaded for no more "drama".

Balotelli struck the only goal of the round of 32 first leg from the spot in the 85th minute, but injured captain Steven Gerrard slammed the Italian for disrespect after the game, claiming that stand-in skipper Henderson was on penalty duties.

In the lead-up to the penalty, Henderson had the ball but Balotelli took it off him and, with fellow striker Daniel Sturridge seemingly also interested in taking responsibility from the spot, the oft-criticised Italy international ignored any complaints from his team-mates to score.

Balotelli wrote on Instagram: "Thank you Hendo for let [sic] me take the penalty.. Stop drama now. We won that's what it [sic] count. We are a team and expecially [sic] we are Liverpool. Come on guys."

It was only Balotelli's fourth goal of the season in all competitions since joining Liverpool from Milan but the 24-year-old is a renowned penalty taker, having converted 21 in a row in his professional career before producing his first miss in 2013.

Liverpool 1 Besiktas 0: Balotelli penalty secures narrow advantage

Liverpool beat Besiktas 1-0 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday thanks to a late Mario Balotelli penalty.

Mario Balotelli came off the bench to score a late penalty and earn Liverpool a 1-0 win over Besiktas in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-32 tie.

Brendan Rodgers' men dropped into the competition after failing to make it out of the UEFA Champions League group stage, having only managed one victory in the campaign.

It looked as though Liverpool's underwhelming fortunes in Europe would continue at Anfield on Thursday, despite dominating possession for the most part.

Demba Ba was thwarted by Simon Mignolet having been sent clean through for Besiktas' best chance in the first half, before Alberto Moreno saw an effort tipped over by goalkeeper Cenk Gonen.

Chances were few and far between for both sides in the second half, despite the addition of Balotelli to Liverpool's frontline, but the Italy international was on hand to convert from the spot five minutes from time after Jordon Ibe had been felled by Ramon.

Steven Gerrard was sidelined with a hamstring injury, ruling him out of a reunion with Besiktas frontman Ba, who – then with Chelsea - pounced on a now-infamous slip by the Liverpool captain to contribute to the downfall of the Anfield club's Premier League title challenge last season.

Nevertheless, it was the hosts who made the early running, and Daniel Sturridge drew a save from goalkeeper Gonen with a close-range strike in the opening four minutes after some trickery in the Besiktas box.

An intruder on the pitch caused a momentary delay before the visitors' first chance fell the way of midfielder Veli Kavlak, but his shot was dragged wide of the left-hand post.

Kavlak came close once again shortly after the half-hour mark when he headed wide from a corner, and Mignolet had to get down well to keep out an effort from Ba after the Senegalese had been sent clean through on goal – the goalkeeper demonstrating what he should have done against Chelsea back in April.

And so it was Besiktas who enjoyed the better goalscoring opportunities in a first half that saw Liverpool have the majority of the ball, although Sturridge curled over a free-kick and Moreno forced Gonen to tip over with a stunning 30-yard strike.

Jordan Henderson pulled wide from another set-piece with Gonen flat-footed before the interval, and Liverpool started the second half on the front foot, but Adam Lallana scooped a glorious chance to break the deadlock over the crossbar following a mix-up between the keeper and Pedro Franco.

Manager Rodgers brought on Balotelli to give his side a greater attacking presence with just over an hour on the clock and the Italian was almost instantly involved, curling a free-kick into the arms of Gonen.

Sturridge saw a similar set-piece kept out 10 minutes later, and it was turning into a mightily frustrating outing for Liverpool until Ibe was brought down in the box late on.

Balotelli stepped up - after some discussion with stand-in skipper Henderson - to coolly slot into the bottom right-hand corner and send Liverpool to Turkey next week with a slim advantage.

Messi expecting tough City test

Barcelona will face a tough test against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League, according to Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi is expecting a tough encounter when Manchester City face Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie next week.

The teams meet at this stage for the second season in succession, Barca having emerged with a 4-1 aggregate victory last time around.

Luis Enrique's men visit the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, before the reverse fixture at Camp Nou three weeks later, and Messi predicts a tight tussle for a place in the next round.

"It is going to be a hard match when we face City again, just like last year," he said in an exclusive video interview with Perform. "They are a team with great players, who want to get to the quarter-finals.

"They have been trying to achieve for a long time. They have spent a lot of money to have a good team, bringing in good players.

"So they are going out to win, and it will be a very even match, where the finer details could prove important. 

"I think that it will be a great match."

Asked whether he had discussed the fixture with Argentina team-mate and City striker Sergio Aguero, Messi revealed: "Yes, we talked when we saw each other, but only for a short time. We talked more about other things."

Barca are on an 11-match winning run in all competitions - sitting one point adrift of Liga leaders Real Madrid and holding a 3-1 advantage over Villarreal in their Copa del Rey semi-final - but Messi insists they can ill-afford to take their eye off the ball.

"We haven't won anything yet, so there is still a long way to go," he added. "There are still many months of competition left in La Liga and the Champions League and we still have to fight for a place in the Copa del Rey final, so I believe there is yet plenty of time to keep playing in this way in order to reach our goals."

Mourinho calls for greater Hazard protection

Jose Mourinho was not surprised by Paris Saint-Germain's physical treatment of Eden Hazard, claiming it also happens in the Premier League.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has called for more attention to be given to the physical approach teams use to deal with winger Eden Hazard following Tuesday's UEFA Champions League draw in Paris.

The Belgium international was the target of some robust tackles at the Parc des Princes as the sides played out a 1-1 draw, with one challenge in particular from Marco Verratti proving a talking point.

Midway through the second half, the Italian left the ground in a challenge on Hazard, with Mourinho stating it is a common occurence in Chelsea's domestic campaign also.

"You know I'm a bit surprised with the question because you bring it to the discussion with me in a Champions League game but we had already 20-something matches in the Premier League and it's not different," he told reporters.

"What happened today, for example with Verratti, if he's another player, he dives. If he's another player he goes to the floor, stays on the floor, rolls on the grass and screams and he's asking for cards and cards and cards.

"This kid is pure and because he's pure, when he goes to the floor, he goes for a reason. Today there were nine fouls, in the Premier League it is no different. You had the example of Stoke, which was an unbelievable situation and this is what happens game after game."

Hazard has been in impressive form so far this season - scoring 13 times in 37 games - and has proved a key figure in Mourinho's side despite disagreements with the Portuguese over his work-rate last season.

However, Mourinho called on the media to raise the point around the treatment of Hazard following domestic games as well.

"We all know the player is a very good player, we all know that as an opponent you have to keep certain attitudes with him," Mourinho added.

"But you brought the team into discussion, it was not me and probably, I don't want to do your job, but probably you should bring the point back to England and try to analyse what happens to him every game."

Chelsea fans filmed in racist act

Footage of Chelsea fans disallowing a man access to a train in Paris has emerged, with the act carrying racist undertones.

Video footage has emerged showing Chelsea supporters denying a man access to a train in Paris, purportedly due to his race.

Prior to Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, the London club's fans were filmed denying a black man access to a Paris metro train.

The footage, leaked to British newspaper The Guardian, shows the man trying to board the train but ultimately he is pushed off.

A group of men, who have been described as Chelsea fans, can also be heard chanting, "We're racist, we're racist and that's the way we like it."

This is the second time in just days that racism has shown itself in football.

Former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi said there are "too many blacks" and "foreigners" in the top youth clubs in Italy on Monday.