Premier League: Wenger harbours title hope as Gunners smash five past Villa February 1, 2015 ARSENAL 5 ASTON VILLA 0 ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger refused to rule the Gunners out of the Premier League title race after an emphatic five-star showing dispatched struggling Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium yesterday. Strikes from Olivier Giroud, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, a Santi Cazorla penalty and Hector Bellerin gave Arsenal victory, while Villa have [...]
Premier League: Koeman set to bolster squad as Swansea thwart Southampton February 1, 2015 SOUTHAMPTON 0 SWANSEA 1 SOUTHAMPTON manager Ronald Koeman confirmed his intention to dip into the transfer market and bolster his squad ahead of tonight’s deadline after slipping to defeat against Swansea at St Mary’s Stadium. Former Liverpool and Charlton midfielder Jonjo Shelvey thundered home a 25-yard strike as Swansea inflicted the hosts’ first Premier League [...]
BT’s pension deficit hits £7bn while profits rise from TV, broadband and sport customers January 30, 2015 The figures In its third quarter results, BT revealed revenue slipped two per cent to £13.2bn in the nine months to 31 December, while adjusted pre-tax profit leaped 11 per cent to £2.1bn. BT's consumer division, including TV, broadband and those all-important BT Sport customers, increased pre-tax profit by 43 per cent to £251m. Its business division also grew [...]
Guinness-owner Diageo may take over as lead Premier League sponsor January 29, 2015 Drinks group Diageo could be the latest company seeking the highly-coveted rights to the title sponsorship of the Premier League. A bid is likely to be tabled in the coming weeks, Sky News reported. A spokesperson for the company said: “With global brands such as Guinness, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, sponsorship plays an important role [...]
Costa to contest stamp charge as City clash looms January 29, 2015 CHELSEA striker Diego Costa last night confirmed his intention to dispute the violent conduct charge he was served in the wake of Tuesday’s tempestuous Capital One Cup semi-final second leg with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The 26-year-old was charged by the Football Association (FA) on Wednesday for an alleged stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can after [...]
Fan’s view: Lampard ready to run gauntlet on Blues return January 29, 2015 Assuming he’s playing, what I’d like to see is Lampard applauded before the game, ignored during it and maybe applauded afterwards. That seems appropriate. He’s playing against Chelsea, cheering him during the game would be absurd in my view. I can’t see that he’s going to get many boos or jeers. As I say, I’d [...]
Sport Comment: Players turned pundits can earn a packet after football January 29, 2015 FOOTBALL pundits: don’t you just love them? Well, maybe you do, perhaps you don’t. They are there to curry debate, adding their professional perspective to TV and radio coverage of our great game. Only yesterday, we woke up to reports that former Spurs and England schemer Danny Murphy was facing a £2.5m tax bill. Now [...]
Chelsea can edge City and take another step towards league title January 29, 2015 BEN CLEMINSON PREVIEWS CHELSEA V MANCHESTER CITY AND WILLIAM CHRIMES GIVES HIS BEST BETS FOR SUPER BOWL XLIX CHELSEA and Manchester City had a weekend to forget as the two market leaders crashed out of the FA Cup at home to lower-division opposition. Jose Mourinho was shell-shocked as League One Bradford City staged a remarkable [...]
Arsenal transfer spend tops £100m and smashes previous record after Gabriel Paulista signing January 29, 2015 Gabriel Paulista may not be the most significant signing Arsenal will ever make, but the Brazilian centre-back’s arrival in North London has created a little bit of history for his new club. After spending roughly £13m on the 24 year-old, Arsenal’s spending for the season has crossed the £100m mark. Never before have the Gunners [...]
BBC pay £204m to keep Premier League highlights on Match of the Day January 29, 2015 Premier League highlights will stay on the BBC until the 2018/19 season after the broadcaster renewed its deal with the league. The cost of the coverage has risen by 13.5 per cent, with the BBC's latest deal with the Premier League jumping from £179.7m to £204m. As part of the deal the BBC's flagship football [...]