Inter has no interest in Tevez

Italian giants decide to end interest in Argentine

Inter Milan have announced they are no longer interested in signing Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez having previously held negotiations with the Argentine.

AC Milan and Paris Saint Germain have also held talks with the 27-year-old, but no club has been able to meet City's £30million-plus valuation.

With less than a week remaining of the transfer window, Tevez is presently in Argentina, having returned to South America in November, and City have stopped paying his wages.

Both the striker and his club are keen to see an end to what has become an arduous saga, which began in September after he refused to resume his warm-up in the UEFA Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich.

Expensive

But on Tuesday evening City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak outlined the club would not allow Tevez to leave in any undervalue deal and if any suitable arrangement cannot be found then they would expect the forward to honour the remaining two-and-half-years of his contract.

AC Milan have been Tevez's preferred destination, but, with PSG having pulled out of a deal because they believe it is too expensive, they now also appear to be his only option after Inter ruled out a move due to the return of other players from injury.

Inter Milan board member Marco Tronchetti Provera told Ansa: "Now we're no longer interested in Tevez. He is following a different path.

"Inter have recovered their champions and there is no need to have him or another, even if Tevez remains a great champion."

Inter, meanwhile, remain unsure over the future of Thiago Motta, who has been regularly linked with PSG.

Asked whether the midfielder will stay at the Giuseppe Meazza, Provera said: "It's a question that for now has no answer. These are choices which the club will do with the player."

Source: skysports

Premier League - Janyary 22

Arsenal 1 Manchester United 2

Valencia and Welbeck keep up the pressure on City

Manchester United kept within touching distance of the top of the Barclays Premier League thanks to Danny Welbeck's late winner at Arsenal.
United knew they needed a win to keep close to leaders Manchester City and they looked on course for victory when Antonio Valencia nodded home Ryan Giggs' cross.
Arsenal rallied in the second half and pulled one back through Robin van Persie, but their hopes of a point were dashed nine minutes from the end when Welbeck steered Valencia's cross home from close range.

The game was not a patch on City's 3-2 win over Tottenham in terms of entertainment and quality, but Sir Alex Ferguson will be happy to have ground out another win which further proves he still has the know-how to formulate a title challenging team at the grand old age of 70.
In reality, though, Arsenal made their task much easier thanks to an abject first-half defensive display from the Gunners' makeshift back four.
Despite the thrilling nature of the encounter between Tottenham and City earlier, Arsenal v Manchester United has proved to be a humdinger of a game in Premier League history.
Pizza-throwing tunnel clashes, touchline spats and on-field rucks have taken place in recent encounters and today's match had even more added spice as the Gunners were out for revenge after their 8-2 humiliation at Old Trafford.
Both managers had predicted a cagey encounter on this occasion, however, and the first 10 minutes suggested they were right to do so.
Jonny Evans cleared an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cross and Anders Lindegaard easily gathered a shot from Aaron Ramsey.
Theo Walcott embarrassed Phil Jones with his quick feet, causing the defender to trip up and hit the deck and he had to come off for Rafael after just 15 minutes.
Per Mertesacker and Johan Djourou cleared dangerous United crosses and Valencia just failed to tap home a flick-on.

Oxlade-Chamberlain bamboozled Patrice Evra to sneak in to the United box and laid off to Walcott, but he blazed over from 18 yards.
Evra then easily beat Alex Song down the left and crossed for Nani but Szczesny saved.

Giggs played Wayne Rooney into the box and the striker went down after appearing to have his arm pulled by Song but Mike Dean waved play on.
The ability of United's wingers to skip past makeshift full-backs Vermaelen and Djourou was a particular source of frustration for the home support.
Nani easily beat the Swiss and whistled a sharp ball across the box.

n the opening minute of first half injury time Giggs was given space down the left flank and he floated a cross over to the back post where Valencia beat Vermaelen in the air to nod home.
Arsenal went off at half-time to a chorus of boos and Wenger, clearly unimpressed by Djourou's contribution, replaced the defender with 18-year-old Nico Yennaris who was making his league debut.
Van Persie was presented with an easy chance five minutes after the break when Tomas Rosicky pinched the ball off Chris Smalling and squared for him but he fired wide from 10 yards with the goal gaping.

Van Persie then tricked his way past three United defenders and squared for Rosicky but his drive was blocked by Evra.
Laurent Koscielny burst in to the United half and laid the ball off to Oxlade-Chamberlain but his drive flew barely an inch wide.
Welbeck raced through after a headed clearance from the United back line and slipped the ball past the advancing Szczesny only to see his goal-bound effort cleared off the line by Per Mertesacker.

Tribute: Robin van Persie had a message for his grandfather after scoring

The striker fell in the challenge from Arsenal's goalkeeper, but despite United's protestations, Dean did not pull play back for a penalty.
Then with 20 minutes to go, Arsenal stunned the visitors with an equaliser.
The Gunners broke through Oxlade-Chamberlain who squared for Van Persie and his reverse shot flew through Evans' legs and in off the post.

Arsenal fans reacted with fury when Wenger brought Oxlade-Chamberlain off two minutes later for Andrey Arshavin.
Nani hobbled off and was replaced by Paul Scholes after being injured in a tackle and Ferguson sacrificed substitute Rafael for Park Ji-sung.
The Emirates Stadium was shocked in to near silence with nine minutes left after Welbeck put the Red Devils ahead.

Valencia lost his marker Arshavin and played a clever one-two with Park before squaring to Welbeck, who bundled home from close range.
Van Persie flung himself towards a header in injury time but United cleared and Evans calmly guided Mertesacker's header in to Lindegaard's arms soon after as the visitors clung on for a vital win.

Source: mailonline

Man City   3 - 2   Tottenham

Mario Balotelli's injury-time penalty gave Premier League leaders Manchester City a vital victory after Tottenham's stirring comeback looked set to earn them a point at The Etihad.

Balotelli calmly slotted home the decisive penalty to give City the points

City set the platform for a win early in the second half with two quick goals from Samir Nasri and Joleon Lescott - but Spurs delivered a devastating response as an opportunist goal from Jermain Defoe and a magnificent strike from Gareth Bale drew them level in a burst of four goals in nine minutes.

Balotelli emerged from the bench and into the chaos that seems to be his constant companion - picking up a booking for a foul on Benoit Assou-Ekotto then escaping punishment after appearing to stamp on Scott Parker, an incident which went undetected by referee Howard Webb.

Defoe was then inches away from putting Spurs back in front in stoppage time before Italian Balotelli was inevitably the central figure in the final twist that ensured Roberto Mancini's side maintained the gap ahead of their pursuers at the top of the table.

Spurs' backroom staff were enraged by Balotelli's clash with Parker and their burning sense of injustice would have been made even more acute when he calmly strode forward to score from the spot with only seconds remaining after he had been hauled down by Ledley King.

The visitors clearly felt he should not even have been on the pitch, adding to their frustration after they had demonstrated considerable character and resilience to fight their way back into the game.

City boss Mancini will have had mixed emotions - delight at a crucial three points but also anxiety at the manner in which his side allowed Spurs back into the game.

Defoe, as expected, was Redknapp's selection in attack ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor, who was unable to figure against City, his parent club, during his season-long loan period.

In a first half that was fiercely contested, the only striker who got the chance to shine was City's Sergio Aguero as Spurs outnumbered City in midfield and contained the league leaders in relative comfort.

The Argentine saw his goalbound shot inadvertently blocked by Edin Dzeko, then demonstrated great strength and awareness to hold off Younes Kaboul and find David Silva, who dragged his shot just wide.

Aguero was frustrated by Spurs goalkeeper Brad Friedel after Richards forced his way into area - but there was still no indication of the torrent of goals that were to hit The Etihad after the break.

The first came after 56 minutes when Silva, with trademark creation, threaded a pass through for Nasri to thump a finish past Friedel. And when Lescott bundled home Dzeko's flick from a Nasri corner three minutes later, City could see daylight.

Not for long, however, as Spurs were back in business within seconds as the hour approached. Stefan Savic failed miserably in his attempt to deal with a clearance, heading straight to Defoe, who accepted the gift with relish as he rounded City keeper Joe Hart to score.

City's fans had gone from elation to anxiety, but Dzeko should have eased their concerns when he was played in by Silva. The Bosnian never looked convincing as he lashed his effort way over the top.

Bale showed no such uncertainty when he put Spurs level in spectacular style after 65 minutes. He took Luka Modric's pass and clipped a finish that possessed pace, power and precision high into the top corner beyond Hart, who had no chance.

City had introduced Balotelli for Dzeko, but his first meaningful contribution was to pick up a yellow card from referee Webb for a foul on Assou-Ekotto.

The coming together with Parker that provided a major talking point followed soon after, before a thrilling second half received the climax it deserved.

Defoe could not stretch far enough to turn Bale's cross into an open goal - leaving the stage clear for the turbulent Balotelli to write another chapter into his eventful Manchester City story.

Source: BBC Sport

Premier League

Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal: David Silva winner sees hosts return to top of Premier League after entertaining clash

In a match with numerous goalscoring opportunities at both ends of the pitch, it was the Spain international who made the difference for Roberto Mancini's men

Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win against Arsenal in a pulsating game at the Etihad Stadium.

David Silva’s second half goal secured all three points in a brilliant match that swayed to and fro from the first minute.

City came into the game showing three changes from their first defeat of the season against Chelsea on Monday with Arsenal old boys Kolo Toure and Samir Nasri, as well as Pablo Zabaleta replacing Joleon Lescott, James Milner and Gael Clichy, while the Gunners were unchanged from their defeat of Everton last Saturday.

City’s bright start should have seen them take the lead in the ninth minute as Zabaleta was played clear on the left hand side from Gareth Barry before playing the ball across the front of both Arsenal centre-halves to Sergio Aguero, whose first touch was exemplary before firing over from 15 yards.

Against the run of play, Arsenal almost took the lead moments later. Gervinho managed to get in behind the home defence for the first time and his powerful shot was saved by Hart. From the resultant corner which Van Persie took short, Ramsey’s deflected effort from the edge of the area was saved once again by the England goalkeeper.

Wojciech Szczesny added to his burgeoning reputation midway through the half with a superb save from Mario Balotelli. Mertesacker was outmuscled by the Italian in the area and had the goal gaping from six yards, but the goalkeeper spread himself brilliantly to block the shot.

An open start to the second half saw both teams push forward for the opening goal, which duly came in the 53rd minute as Balotelli was given far too much space on the left hand side. He stole a yard on Alex Song before unleashing a powerful strike that could only be parried by Szczesny to Silva, who couldn’t miss from a yard out.

The response from Arsenal was superb as first Theo Walcott forced a fine save from Joe Hart and then Van Persie had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside call.

City remained dangerous on the break, however, and should have doubled their lead just after the hour mark. Nasri linked well with Silva before finding space behind the defence, and all he had to do was play across goal for Balotelli to stroke home, but his pass was woefully overhit and the ball went harmlessly out for a goal kick.

The away side felt they should have had a penalty in the 78th minute as Koscielny’s cross was flicked on to the right arm of Micah Richards. The full back knew little about it and had his hand was by his side, which would have helped influence the referee’s decision.

Andrey Arshavin had a chance late on to work Joe Hart at the back post but his shot was taken frightfully quickly and it went harmlessly into the side netting. 

Thomas Vermaelen then went close with a strike from outside the area but it was to no avail as City held out in what was a breathless game and move back ahead of rivals United at the top of the table.

QPR 0-2 Manchester United: Wayne Rooney & Michael Carrick strike early in each half to keep up the pressure on City

Comfy afternoon for Premier League champions as they canter to victory that never looked in doubt after England striker glanced home after only one minute of play

Manchester United enjoyed a comfortable afternoon at Loftus Road, going top of the Premier League courtesy of a 2-0 win against QPR.

It was largely one way traffic from the off, with Wayne Rooney scoring within a minute to give the visitors the lead.

Michael Carrick solo effort early in the second half put the result beyond doubt, with United having a plethora of other chances to further extend their advantage.

The win takes Manchester United a point clear of rivals City at the summit of the league, with the latter entertaining Arsenal in the final game of the day.

It took the reigning champions under a minute to stamp their authority on proceedings, with Rooney releasing Antonio Valencia down the right flank before stooping to glance the Ecuadorian's cross just inside the far post.

From there on United barely relinquished the driving seat. Danny Welbeck should have finished when released through on goal, then had the ball in the back of the net though was called offside.

As Welbeck flicked on a corner Jonny Evans headed against the bar, before Rooney released Phil Jones down the middle but the converted midfielder rifled his effort into the legs of Radek Cerny.

The Czech keeper then made a fantastic save to deny Welbeck from close range after Rooney’s effort was blocked, with QPR then somehow managing to clear the ball off the line as the move came to an end.

Rooney had a golden opportunity to add to United's lead after the teams emerged after half-time but his control let him down when through on goal.

Also in similar vein to the first half, United imposed themselves in relentless fashion on their hosts and within 10 minutes they had doubled their advantage. Some tidy footwork by Carrick on the halfway line allowed the central midfielder to home in on the QPR goal and after shrugging off the attention of a couple defenders he fired in low past Cerny,

Welbeck’s bent effort from the edge of the box drew another top stop from Cerny before Jones sidefooted against the post from near identical range.

QPR nearly edged themselves back into it courtesy of their two substitutes, yet after Adel Taarabt did well to engineer a cross, DJ Campbell’s volleyed effort from point blank range was found lacking.

From there on United cantered to victory, putting themselves top of the pile and eagerly anticipating City's match up with Arsenal.

Aston Villa 0-2 Liverpool: Craig Bellamy & Martin Skrtel strike in first half as Reds coast back into top six

Two early goals from corners were just reward for the Merseyside club who dominated throughout but despite Luis Suarez hitting the woodwork twice, could not score again

Liverpool recorded a comfortable 2-0 Premier League victory against Aston Villa after first-half goals from Craig Bellamy and Martin Skrtel.

Both players scored from early corners as the Reds ran riot against a home side lacking top scorers Darren Bent and Gabriel Agbonlahor up front.

It was a dominant performance from the visitors who should have scored more than their two goals but poor finishing again robbed them of a more comfortable victory, with Luis Suarez hitting the woodwork twice.

Both sides made some surprising team choices for the match with Alex McLeish having to replace the suspended Agbonlahor whilst Bent and Chris Herd missed out through thigh and ankle injuries. In came former Liverpool player Emile Heskey as well as Nathan Delfouneso and Fabian Delph.

Stewart Downing was roundly booed by the home fans on his return to Villa Park despite being the club’s Player of the Season but after having one routine shot easily saved, it was his corner from the right which saw Liverpool take the lead.

Jonjo Shelvey’s flick was met by Suarez who tried to copy the midfielder only to miss the ball. However, after Guzan had saved the chance fell to Bellamy to bundle home from close range and give his side an early advantage.

Bellamy was on inspired form and causing the Villa back line all sorts of problems and after his run earned another corner, he delivered the cross from the left which saw Skrtel beat Richard Dunne and Alan Hutton to the ball before flicking home his side’s second goal after just 15 minutes.

Only Tottenham have scored more than one goal against Liverpool in the league this season but the home side responded with Charles N’Zogbia firing narrowly over from around 25 yards out before finding the side netting after a quick break and a pass from Delfouneso.

At the other end, the quiet Suarez nut-megged Petrov and slipped in Shelvey but his shot on the slide was tipped wide by Guzan. Heskey then flicked a header over the bar from a corner in the last chance of the half.

Liverpool started the second half like the first and should have had the game wrapped up in the opening minutes. First, Bellamy scampered down the left and crossed to the back post where Daniel Agger – who had started the move by winning the ball off Dunne – headed over.

Then moments later the Welshman dispossessed Hutton, played in Suarez who lost the ball to Dunne. However, the Uruguayan won it back, side-stepped Collins, then managed to hit the underside of the bar when he looked certain to score.

Villa were contributing to their own demise and Warnock was next to give the ball away just outside his own area and Guzan had to make an excellent save diving to his left to deny Johnson.

It was the away side who continued to create excellent chances. First Suarez hit the post from a delightful chip and then Adam was allowed to run in on goal but with Shelvey waiting for the pass, he opted to shoot from the edge of the box and his shot deflected off Collins and went wide.

As in the first-half, the game quietened down towards the end with Liverpool happy to frustrate Villa's attacks. Dalglish felt able to take off Suarez and brought on Andy Carroll as his side eased to a comfortable victory.

Source: goal.com

Premier League Table

Champions League scores

These are the 16 qualified countries to the next round between 14 february and 14 march.

 Bayern Munchen
 Napoli
 Inter Milan
 CSKA Moskow
 Benfica
Basel
Real Madrid
Olympique Lyonnais
Chelsea
Bayern Leverkusen
Arsenal
Olympique Marseille
APOEL FC
Zenit St. Petersburg
Barcelona
AC Milan

Wednesday Dec 7

Ajax   0 - 3   Real Madrid

Inter Milan   1 - 2   CSKA Moscow

Villarreal    0 - 2    Napoli

FC Basel   2 - 1   Manchester United

Dinamo Zagreb   1 - 7   Lyon

Lille   0 - 0   Trabzonspor

Manchester City  2  - 0   Bayern Munchen

Benfica   1- 0   Otelul Galati

Tuesday - Dec 6

Barcelona  4 - 0  BATE

Chelsea  3 - 0  Valencia

Apoel Nicosia  0 - 2 Shaktar Donetsk

Olympiacos  3 - 1  Arsenal

Borussia Dortmund  2 - 3  Marseille

Genk  1 - 1  Bayer Leverkusen

Viktoria Plzen  2 - 2  AC Milan

FC Porto  0 - 0  Zenit St. Petersburg

Champions League matches

Real hit Zagreb for six

Real Madrid wrapped up top spot in Champions League Group D in emphatic fashion by thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 6-2.

The Spanish giants stormed into a 3-0 lead over Dinamo Zagreb inside nine minutes with goals from Karim Benzema, Jose Callejon and Gonzalo Higuain, and Mesut Ozil made it four before 20 minutes were up.

Callejon and Benzema struck again after the interval and Madrid could have had even more goals, while late strikes from Dinamo's Fatos Beqiraj and Ivan Tomecak gave a merely cosmetic effect to the scoreline.

The opener came after just 83 seconds as Benzema tucked away Ozil's cut-back to round off a flowing team move.

The France striker then laid the ball off for Callejon to rifle home the second from the edge of the box and there were still only nine minutes on the clock when Higuain netted a delicious third.

Racing into the right side of the penalty area, the Argentinian flummoxed defender Leandro Cufre with a sharp turn before producing a deft finish over wrong-footed keeper Ivan Kelava.

Higuain then fired Fabio Coentrao's cross over the bar before Luis Ibanez had shell-shocked Dinamo's first real effort, curling a free-kick over.

Benzema was off target from distance but Real's fourth was not long in coming, Ozil finishing calmly after Kelava parried Higuain's drive.

Kelava remained defiant in the face of the onslaught, saving with his feet to deny Coentrao and then tipping Benzema's shot over.

Dinamo sought to get themselves on the scoresheet as half-time approached but Jorge Sammir fired over after Benzema only half-cleared Mehmed Alispahic's corner and Ibanez then shot straight at keeper Antonio Adan.

But, after making all three substitutions at half-time, Madrid quickly extended their lead as Callejon latched onto Raphael Varane's long ball and was allowed to finish too easily inside the near post.

Kelava was fighting a lone battle at times and did well to tip efforts from Higuain and Callejon around the post in quick succession.

But he was left helpless when Benzema took Higuain's pass, waltzed through two weak challenges and found the bottom corner of the net.

Beqiraj had one effort blocked by Raul Albiol but was not to be denied, heading home Ibanez's cross for his side's first goal of the tournament - and the first conceded by Jose Mourinho's side.

Benzema hit the bar and drew another sharp save from Kelava as he chased his hat-trick, and substitute Hamit Altintop had a shot blocked, but it was Dinamo who had the final word as Tomecak turned in Milan Badelj's cross.

Source: ESPN

Napoli 2-1 Manchester City: Edinson Cavani hits double to leave visitors' Champions League hopes hanging by a thread

The Uruguayan striker struck in each half to take the visitors' destiny out of their hands, despite Mario Balotelli's ninth goal in 10 matches.

Napoli dealt Manchester City's hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League a severe blow by recording a 2-1 victory at San Paolo in an exciting, end-to-end Group A match.

Edinson Cavani was the home hero with goals in either half. He recorded the opener after 20 minutes from a corner, his flicked header poorly defended by Aleksandar Kolarov on the post, before Mario Balotelli struck back with a tap-in after the half-hour.

The winner came just after the break when the Uruguayan put away a sumptuous sidefooted finish from Andrea Dossena's low pass, to seal a result that sees Napoli leapfrog City in the standings, one point ahead of the Premier League leaders going into the final matchday.

The Citizens will now need to overturn Bayern Munich in their last group game and hope that bottom side Villarreal can upset the odds by recording its first points of the league phase.

City started the match in commanding form and came close when Mario Balotelli curved a shot wide from the edge of the area, but let its concentration slip a little after 10 minutes when Marek Hamsik was allowed space to meet a cross from the right – the visitors were lucky that the Slovak headed straight at Joe Hart.

The home side, buoyed by its first chance, then nearly carved out a beautiful goal. On a furiously fast counter-attack, Ezequiel Lavezzi steamed forward in from the left, played a glorious one-two with Cavani, before firing just wide.

Napoli completed their seizure of the initiative by notching the opener in slightly awkward style. After Hart touched a rasping 30-yard effort from Gokhan Inler over the bar, Cavani met the resulting corner just short of the near post with a flicked header, which then took touches off both the flailing Kolarov and Hart to bounce in.

City looked rattled as the Italians settled down, backed by a vociferous crowd, to defend deep and frustrate the Premier League leaders, but sitting back backfired when Salvatore Aronica fluffed a clearance, passing it straight to Silva in the box. The Spaniard’s shot was parried by Morgan De Sanctis but Balotelli was on hand to tap in the simplest of finishes on the rebound.

After the break, Napoli came out with a fire in its belly. Andrea Dossena slipped into space on the left, supplied by Lavezzi, and then cut a pass back into the area, where Cavani dispatched a cool sidefooted finish past the slow-to-react Hart to restore the hosts’ lead and renew Mancini’s headaches.

Napoli should have extended the lead when Christian Maggio hared down the right wing and delivered a probing cross to which Hart offered only a feeble punch, but Lavezzi was unlucky to slip at the crucial moment and could not capitalize on the mistake.

Lavezzi had another bite of the apple a minute later, Hamsik having found some space and attemped to release him. His marker, Vincent Kompany, slipped to allow the Argentine to race into the area, but Hart stood firm to block his strong shot and keep the visitors within reach.

With City scrambling, Cavani nearly turned provider for the killer goal when he produced a sublime cross-field pass from deep, even while being brought down by Kompany, to find Hamsik. The Slovak took advantage of a slight deflection off the defender to jink past and shoot low, but his effort came back off the post.

Immediately after, Balotelli finally broke Napoli’s defensive line to find himself one-on-one with De Sanctis, but the keeper reacted smartly to deflect his shot, to the striker’s clear frustration.

The home side then pelted back upfield with Maggio this time breaking into the box and bearing down on Hart, but the impressive keeper provided too big a barrier for the wing back to seal the win.

The game had become frantic, and City pushed forward again with the substitute Samir Nasri loosed in the inside-right channel gloriously by Silva. The Frenchman’s cross sat up invitingly for Balotelli but he headed over.

City threw everything it had at the Italians but there was no last-minute miracle and it now stares down the barrel of elimination.

source: goal.com

Champions League scores

Scores from yesterday matches - November/22

Real Madrid  6 - 2 Dinamo Zagreb

Lyon 0 - 0 Ajax

CSKA Moscow 0 - 2 Lille

Trabzonspor  1 - 1 Inter Milaan

Oltelu Galati 2 - 3 FC Basel 

Bayern Munchen 3 - 1 Villarreal

Napoli 2 - 1 Manchester City

Manchester United 2 - 2 Benfica