Balotelli hit with FA charge January 23, 2012 MANCHESTER CITY striker Mario Balotelli could miss tomorrow’s Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool and three crucial Premier League games after he was charged with violent conduct by the Football Association for appearing to stamp on Tottenham’s Scott Parker. The Italian striker, who won and converted the decisive penalty in Sunday’s 3-2 win over [...]
Spurs ready to overtake rivals Arsenal January 23, 2012 THE CIRCUMSTANCES of Tottenham’s defeat at Manchester City on Sunday will have stung Harry Redknapp, but he should seek significant consolation in the fact his side’s performance confirmed a shift in the balance of power in north London. To have retrieved a two-goal deficit and come within a few centimetres of beating the champions-elect underlined [...]
Murray blasts boring win as Brit bags last-eight slot January 23, 2012 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray described his 49-minute win over Mikhail Kukushkin as “boring” and “pointless” after taking his place in the Australian Open quarter-finals. The fourth seed was leading 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 when his Kazakh opponent, ranked 92 in the world, was forced to retire with a hip injury. “It was boring,” said Murray. “There was [...]
Djokovic foils gutsy Hewitt January 23, 2012 REIGNING champion Novak Djokovic hailed his first major test of the year after extinguishing a rousing comeback from home favourite Lleyton Hewitt to claim his place in the Australian Open quarter-finals. World No1 Djokovic lost his way after racing into a two-set lead and, having allowed faded star Hewitt to claw one back, was forced [...]
Unseeded Makarova dumps Serena January 23, 2012 FIVE-TIME champion Serena Williams blamed a litany of mistakes after crashing out of the Australian Open to unseeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova. The American was guilty of seven double faults and 37 unforced errors as Makarova claimed the most notable scalp of her career 6-2, 6-3. “She played really well, she went for broke on a [...]
Cook promises to lead fightback from the front January 23, 2012 ENGLAND batsman Alastair Cook insists he and fellow opener Andrew Strauss should be trusted to create a platform from which their side can strike back against Pakistan. England trail the three-match series 1-0 after last week’s 10-wicket defeat in Dubai which featured two abject batting collapses. The pitch at the Sheikh Zyed Cricket Stadium heavily [...]
I’m ready to play every week, vows Arsenal starlet Oxlade-Chamberlain January 23, 2012 ARSENAL winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hopes his eye-catching performance against Manchester United on Sunday will be enough to convince Arsene Wenger he is worthy of a regular first team place. Wenger’s decision to withdraw the versatile 18-year-old attacker after 73 encouraging minutes drew stinging criticism from fans and appeared to be met with equal astonishment from [...]
Palace boss Freedman piles the pressure on Cardiff’s bottlers January 23, 2012 CRYSTAL PALACE manager Dougie Freedman has risked a Cardiff backlash by depicting the Welsh side as “nearly men” ahead of tonight’s Carling Cup semi final second leg. Under previous manager Dave Jones, Cardiff wasted several promising positions in the league to miss out on automatic promotion to the Premier League and have failed in the [...]
Can Farah go the distance and cap landmark year? January 23, 2012 LESS than two weeks to go and the countdown is on to the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards. The most prestigious sports awards in the world, the winners are chosen by the 47 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, which includes British greats such as Sir Ian Botham, Sir Bobby Charlton, Lord Sebastian Coe [...]
Lampard to miss QPR cup clash January 23, 2012 FOOTBALL: Chelsea will be without Frank Lampard for Saturday’s eagerly anticipated FA Cup fourth round tie against west London rivals QPR at Loftus Road. Lampard was taken off with a calf injury at half time during Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Norwich, but the midfielder is expected to return in time for the trip to Swansea [...]