Newcastle end Chelsea’s unbeaten run

Newcastle's Cisse condemned Jose Mourinho's side to their first defeat of the campaign. Newcastle had to see out 10 minutes of normal and six minutes of stoppage time with 10 men after Steven Tayor collected a second yellow card for a late challenge on visiting substitute Andre Schurrle.

Chelsea sub Didier Drogba had headed home on 83 minutes to give his side hope of rescuing a point, but Newcastle held on for a famous win that denied Chelsea the chance to move nine points clear at the summit. Newcastle also had to complete the job with their third goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, who made his full debut at half-time after an injury to Rob Elliot. But like so many men in black and white, '


Alnwick was in inspired form for his team as Newcastle held on to end Chelsea's record-equalling 23-game unbeaten run. Manchester City can close the gap to only three points at the top if they complete a home win over Everton later in the afternoon.

Record-breaking Ronaldo leads Real to new height

Cristiano Ronaldo netted a record 23rd hat-trick in La Liga and his 200th goal in the Spanish top flight as Real Madrid equalled a Spanish record of 18 consecutive wins in all competitions with a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Ronaldo passes Telmo Zarra, whose record as La Liga’s all-time top goalscorer was recently usurped by Lionel Messi, and Madrid legend Alfredo di Stefano who both scored 22 hat-tricks to reach his double century of La Liga goals in just 179 games.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have now matched the winning run record set by Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona side in the 2005/06 season, and have the chance to go one better at home to Ludogorets in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Ronaldo rolled home a contentious penalty nine minutes before half-time after referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco ruled that Jonny Castro had pulled down the World Player of the Year as he tried to latch onto a cross before smashing home a loose ball inside the area midway through the second-half.
The Portugal captain then sealed his latest record mark when he converted Marcelo’s cross at the far post nine minutes from time.
Champions Atletico Madrid enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 win at Elche and remain four points behind their city rivals in the table.
European champions Real killed off many of their opponents in the opening stages during their stunning run, but they had to be patient on Saturday as a mixture of profligate finishing and good defending by the Galician outfit held them at bay.
Sergio Ramos should have marked his 300th La Liga appearance for Los Blancos with a goal when he miscued from close range after Sergio Alvarez had parried a header from Ronaldo.
Castro then made a brilliant last-ditch challenge to prevent Ronaldo at the back post before the Portuguese star sent a stunning overhead-kick flying onto the roof of the net.
However, when the breakthrough came it was in controversial circumstances as there appeared to be little contact between Castro and Ronaldo.
It made no difference to Ronaldo, though, as he stepped up and confidently dispatched the spot-kick.
Celta had offered nothing of an attacking threat in the first-half, but came close to an equaliser at the beginning of the second period when Fabian Orellana pulled a shot just wide of the target.
The hosts were further disrupted when James Rodriguez hobbled off to be replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa.
Yet, the Colombian’s absence didn’t affect their flow going forward as Alvarez had to beat away a fierce drive from Bale at the end of a quick counter-attack.
Ronaldo killed the game as a contest moments later when Toni Kroos’s deflected pass looped into his path, giving Alvarez no chance with a sweetly struck volley.
Karim Benzema should have handed Ronaldo his record when he opted to go for goal with a poorly attempted chip rather than square it to his teammate who had a open goal moments later.
It didn’t matter, though, as a typical energetic burst from Marcelo took him into the Celta box and Ronaldo was on hand to turn the ball home at the far post.
Atletico were also comfortable victors at Elche to register their fifth consecutive win in all competitions and move into second place above Barcelona, who entertain Espanyol on Sunday.
Jose Gimenez fired them in front with his first goal for the club after good work from Koke and Arda Turan early on.
Eight minutes after the restart Atletico made the game safe when captain Gabi won possession just inside the Elche half and clipped a delightful ball over the top for Mario Mandzukic, whose near post effort surprised Przemyslaw Tyton in the home side’s goal.

Arsenal gifted Stoke the win - Wenger

Arsene Wenger has criticised Arsenal's "tender" defending as they fell to a surprise 3-2 loss against Stoke City on Saturday.

Peter Crouch gave the Potters the perfect start, scoring inside 20 seconds, before Bojan Krkic and Jonathan Walters handed Mark Hughes' side a 3-0 half-time lead.



And although the Gunners responded by scoring twice in a matter of minutes in the second half, Stoke held on to claim victory, leaving Wenger extremely disapppointed in his team's approach.

He told reporters: "Stoke started strongly and we were not decisive enough in the defensive challenges. We gave them a present.

"After that we put a lot of energy into the game. In the second half we had good opportunities to come back but we couldn’t.

"We were too tender at the back from the start today. When we responded it was too late in the game.

"You have to give them credit. I think we were a bit inexperienced at the back. We could not play Koscielny or Monreal. We were a bit soft to cope with what they offered us.

"You have to be committed and focused from the first minute. I think we were a bit unlucky because the third goal was a foul from the corner. But still we weren’t good enough defensively today."

Despite pulling two goals back, Arsenal's comeback was halted as Calum Chambers received his first career red card for a second bookable offence, something Wenger contested.

"It was a bad decision," he said. "If Chambers has to go off today I’ll watch the game again with you and show five more players who should go.

"I don’t want to comment too much on the referee but watch the game again and watched what happened on the pitch. I don’t think he deserved to be sent off compared to other people who put arms and elbows in faces."

Stoke have a formidable Premier League record against the Gunners and Wenger has often found himself on the receiving end of various taunts from Potters supporters, something he chose to avoid on Saturday.

"One single reason [I stayed seated], They love me so much here that I didn’t want to give them an opportunity to show me their love."

Wenger also touched on Danny Welbeck, who started the game on the bench.

"I rotated a little bit but had to respond at half-time. He looked like he was alright. We have three or four strikers from game to game and not everybody can play."

Mourinho blames Newcastle ball boys for Chelsea defeat

Jose Mourinho has blamed Newcastle's ball boys for ending Chelsea's unbeaten start to the season with what he perceived as time-wasting at St James' Park on Saturday.

A double from substitute Papiss Cisse put the hosts ahead and, despite the Magpies being reduced to 10 men and Didier Drogba scoring with time to spare, the Blues were unable to find a late equaliser to cling into their record.


And the Portuguese boss was furious with the home side's ball boys and their delaying tactics, even suggesting that the match officials should have awarded more than the six minutes of stoppage time that was added on.

"We wanted to play more football, but that was not possible because a few things that I thought didn't belong any more to top level football but still belongs - the ball disappears, the ball doesn't come, another ball comes, the ball boys they run away," Mourinho told BT Sport.

"These are the kinds of situation which our unfortunately still part of the game. You didn't see that the ball disappeared? They keep the ball, they hide the ball, we want to play, no ball. When one ball comes the second ball appears again. This kind of strategy.

He added to BBC Sport: "My team lost the way I like to lose which is to give everything and being unlucky. Only one team played to win. After the second goal the team lost their emotional balance. A point was the minimum we deserved.

"There could have been 20 minutes stoppage time but the situation would have been the same because things were happening outside the four lines that the referee couldn't control.

"The referee can't punish the ball boy who disappeared with the ball, the referee couldn't punish the people in the crowd who kept the ball. I'm not obsessed with records and statistics, that's not for me, I want to win the league."

The loss ends Chelsea's hopes of emulating Arsene Wenger's Arsenal 'Invincibles', but they remain top of the league, ahead of second-placed Manchester City.

‘Remarkable’ Drogba sets the tone for Mourinho

Jose Mourinho believes Didier Drogba’s dynamic display in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Tottenham proved the Premier League leaders have the strength in depth to last the pace in the title race.
Mourinho’s side maintained their six-point lead at the top of the table thanks to a throwback performance from Ivory Coast striker Drogba, who scored his fifth goal of the season at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday to make the absence of suspended leading scorer Diego Costa a mere footnote.

Didier Drogba
Drogba, 36, showed there is still plenty of life in his ageing legs by laying on Eden Hazard’s 19th minute opener, then netting with a clinical finish in the 23rd minute before substitute Loic Remy’s fine finish in the 73rd minute sealed Chelsea’s seventh successive home win.
Even Mourinho, who brought Drogba to west London from Marseille for his first spell with the club in 2004, was moved to single out the Blues legend for special praise after a performance which showed Chelsea should have enough firepower in reserve if the injury-prone Costa falters.
“Yes, it is remarkable. Didier is a team player, one of these with an old school mentality. Not selfish, not vain, a humble guy who plays for the team, fights for the team. Fantastic,” Mourinho said.
“When he is on the bench and comes on for the last few minutes to help the team defend, he does that with the same enthusiasm as when he starts a game against Tottenham.
“We played against him when he was at Galatasaray last season so I could feel the kind of potential he still has and I was expecting exactly this, with not even a doubt about a player who is not playing every game. I knew he would adapt very well mentally to his role.”
– Inspirational Drogba –
Thanks to Drogba’s inspirational efforts, Chelsea have equalled a club record, set previously in 2007 and again in 2009, by extending their unbeaten run to 23 matches in all competitions — 21 this term and two games at the end of last season.
They have also matched the club’s record unbeaten start to a league season of 14 games without defeat set in the second tier in 1925-26.
Mourinho puts his team’s scintillating form down to their refusal to look for excuses when they are hit by bad luck or injuries and suspensions.
“We need him (Costa) but we have the right mentality. If we don’t have a player we don’t cry about it,” Mourinho said.
“(Nemanja) Matic is suspended for the Newcastle game on Saturday? No problem. Did you remember Diego Costa today? I didn’t.
“We give confidence to the players and they respond in the best way.
“We were able to face a difficult moment against Tottenham, be stable, score the goals and then manage the game.”
After winning their previous three matches, this was a reality check for Tottenham and their boss Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged his side had paid the price for failing to turn their early pressure into goals.
Harry Kane twice went close, firing narrowly wide and then hitting the bar with a header, but Tottenham crumbled at the back to leave them without a win at Stamford Bridge in 28 matches since 1990.
“We started very well and made some chances, but they scored with their first chance and the game changed. That is the difference,” Pochettino said.
“I’m very disappointed with the result because 3-0 is harsh but we can take some positives. We were very brave at the start.
“If we scored when Kane hit the bar then the game changes, but we were playing a very good team.
“Our history here is difficult but we came here with the idea to take three points.
“That was our intention in the beginning, but in football it’s hard to manage the luck.”

Wenger lauds Arsenal’s fast-adapting Sanchez

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed the speed of Alexis Sanchez’s adaptation to the Premier League after the Chilean forward’s last-gasp winning goal sank top-four rivals Southampton.
Sanchez, a £30 million ($47.1 million, 38.2 million euros) signing from Barcelona, netted his 14th goal of the season in the 89th minute of Wednesday’s game to earn Arsenal a 1-0 win that sent them to within two points of the Champions League spots.
Southampton’s England international goalkeeper Fraser Forster produced a string of fine saves at the Emirates Stadium, but he could not stop Sanchez’s close-range finish from Aaron Ramsey’s cross.
Sanchez, who has been the talisman for Arsenal in the opening four months of the campaign, received the accolades of his manager after his strike lifted the north London club into sixth place.
“He was one of the players who had to dig deep today (Wednesday), but he has such a desire to fight that he always finds something special to get the goal,” Wenger said.
“It’s difficult to find examples of people who have settled in so quickly. My memory is not perfect, but I can’t think of a quicker one.
“We’re in December and he arrived in July. When you look at the number of goals and the impact he has had in the team, it is fabulous.”
Wenger was on the receiving end of boos from Arsenal fans when he replaced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with Olivier Giroud in the 65th minute.
But the relief at Sanchez’s last-gasp strike was palpable as Arsenal maintained the momentum sparked by victory over Borussia Dortmund in Europe and nurtured by a gritty away success at West Bromwich Albion.
Wenger added: “For us it was important to win because we lost our last home game (to Manchester United). We had the right attitude, a good solidarity and focus, and it’s a good basis.
“But you could see that the confidence within the crowd was a bit nervous. At times, it transmitted to the players.
“We did not have our usual fluency in the game, but it’s important that you can win a game when that is not perfect.”
– Koeman rues injuries –
Southampton remain in third place despite back-to-back losses, having gone down 3-0 at home to Manchester City on Sunday.
But Wenger tipped the south-coast club to recover from their blip and be in the hunt for a top-four finish come the end of the season.
“There is a long way to go, but I think they are top-four contenders,” said the Frenchman.
Southampton finished with 10 players as defender Toby Alderweireld limped off with a hamstring injury after visiting coach Ronald Koeman had already made all three of his substitutions.
The St Mary’s outfit have a growing injury list ahead of the visit of Manchester United next Monday.
“Maybe if he had a kick on his ankle then he could play on for the last five minutes, but it’s a hamstring problem. You can’t continue as a player,” said Koeman of Alderweireld’s abrupt exit.
“We have to wait on Morgan (Schneiderlin). It is the same injury as when he came back from international duty. I don’t think he will be fit for next Monday. Maybe the weekend after.
“Jack (Cork) has told me it is the same ankle as last season. We have to wait on Toby, but a hamstring is always a minimum of two weeks. If it’s a real hamstring injury then it is longer.
“(Dusan) Tadic was a little bit injured, a little bit tired because we play a lot. But I can’t change that. It’s football.”

United scent City blood in derby

Scarred by a run of three games without victory, misfiring Premier League champions Manchester City will attempt to reassert their authority when they host derby rivals Manchester United this weekend.

Having blown a two-goal lead to draw at CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, City fell six points behind league leaders Chelsea after losing at West Ham United and were then knocked out of the League Cup by Newcastle United.

Wednesday's 2-0 loss at home to Newcastle came despite City manager Manuel Pellegrini fielding a strong team, and goalkeeper Joe Hart has called on his teammates to raise their game against United on Sunday.

"Not everyone's exactly at their peak at the moment, but we just need a few players, myself included, to step up," the England goalkeeper, who was rested against Newcastle, told Sky Sports News.

"It will come back. It's just one of those difficult patches that we've gone through many a time. Last season, we had less points and were in a worse position (at this stage of the season), and we won the league.

"We've got to look to things like that, but the main thing is to get it right on Sunday."

David Silva is a doubt for City after going off against Newcastle with a knee injury, but Yaya Toure is expected to feature despite being substituted in the second half as a precaution over a groin complaint.

Wayne Rooney, the leading scorer in Manchester derbies with 11 goals, has completed a three-match suspension and is set to return to the United attack despite reports he has sustained a foot injury.

A 94th-minute equaliser by Robin van Persie earned Louis van Gaal's United a morale-boosting 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea last weekend.

United lost 4-1 and 3-0 to City last season, but victory at the Etihad would take them to within a point of the champions.

After edging fourth-tier Shrewsbury Town 2-1 in the League Cup in mid-week, Chelsea will look to return to winning ways in the league when they host west London rivals Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

Chelsea have taken 23 points from a possible 27 to date this season, but with QPR having recorded a timely 2-0 win at home to Aston Villa on Monday, centre-back Gary Cahill says his side cannot afford to be complacent.

"We have a chance to get the right result and hopefully sit back and enjoy Sunday (the Manchester derby), but it's never easy. You have to prepare right, rest up and make sure we're ready," said the England defender.

"Last season we struggled at times against teams people thought we were going to beat. It's never as easy as that."

Second-place Southampton, four points below Chelsea, visit Hull City on Saturday, having won 3-2 at Stoke City in the League Cup on Wednesday.

Southampton have belied expectations after losing a glut of key players during the close season and manager Ronald Koeman says he is not concerned about fatigue ahead of the trip to the KC Stadium.

"If you're a real football player, you'd like to play every three days," the Dutchman told a press conference on Thursday. "We need this schedule to develop ourselves."

Fourth-place West Ham could be without leading scorer Diafra Sakho for their trip to Stoke on Saturday, after he injured his shoulder in last weekend's 2-1 win over City.

Saturday's early game sees Newcastle host Liverpool, who remain without the injured Daniel Sturridge.

But having seen his side overcome Swansea City in the League Cup on Tuesday, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says he is happy with his options in the striking department.

"With Daniel out, of course it is a miss, but it is also an opportunity, as we saw the other night," he said.

"Fabio Borini was excellent, a real threat, and put in a wonderful cross for the (equalising) goal. And Rickie Lambert, who hasn't had many opportunities, his goals will come."

Elsewhere on Saturday, fifth-place Arsenal host winless bottom club Burnley and Swansea visit Everton, while Tottenham Hotspur visit Villa in Sunday's other game.