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LINGARD NETS DEBUT DOUBLE AS WESTHAM BOUNCE BACK TO WIN 3-1 AT VILLA PARK.

Jesse Lingard marked his West Ham United debut with two second-half goals as David Moyes’ side beat Aston Villa 3-1 at Villa Park.

Both teams had first-half chances, Ollie Watkins clipping the outside of a post for the hosts and Tomas Soucek curling narrowly wide.

It was Soucek who broke the deadlock, latching on to Said Benrahma’s through-ball and picking out the bottom-left corner six minutes after the restart.

Lingard doubled West Ham’s lead five minutes later, controlling Michail Antonio’s cross on his chest before firing across Emiliano Martinez.

Watkins halved the deficit following a neat exchange with Jack Grealish but Lingard removed any chance of a Villa comeback with another finish through Martinez seven minutes from time.

A third straight away Premier League victory lifts West Ham to fifth with 38 points, two behind fourth-placed Liverpool.

Villa are six points behind the Hammers in ninth, with two matches in hand.

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DANNY INGS REPORTEDLY EYEING A CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CLUB.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has issued a message to striker Danny Ings amid reports he is stalling on signing a new contract at Saints in the hope he can play Champions League football, stating: “Score 10-15 goals more for us this season and then we have a chance to go there.”

Saints have been hoping to tie down their star striker to a new deal, with his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2022.

Reports this week claim Ings is reluctant to commit his long-term future to Saints just yet, in the hope a club competing at Europe’s elite level might try to sign him.

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for the England international.

There is also a suggestion Ings is eyeing a potential release clause in any new deal he does agree to at Saints, which could keep his options open if a top club came calling.

Saints currently sit ninth in the Premier League table, five points off the top four.

Hasenhuttl has always maintained his desire for Ings to stay at the club, with the 28-year-old having netted 40 goals in 81 appearances since joining from Liverpool, initially on loan, in 2018.

Asked if he is confident of keeping the Winchester-born ace this summer, Hasenhuttl replied: “Yes.”

Pushed further on reports of Ings wanting to play European football, Hasenhuttl added: “I think if he wants Champions League football he must score 10-15 goals more for us this season and then we have a chance to go there.

“It’s not impossible I think.”

Speaking earlier in the week about negotiations with Ings, boss Hasenhuttl said: “I think Danny shows us that he wants to be with the club, we know that he is an important player for us. I hope that we find an agreement and finally he stays with us.

“If not, life will go on and this club will also exist and hopefully we can find a way that we can both live with.”

Ings did not feature in last night’s 2-0 win over Shrewsbury in the third round of the FA Cup as he continues to get up to full fitness after recovering from coronavirus, but could return to take on Arsenal in the same competition on Saturday.

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EZE STARS AS CRYSTAL PALACE DO A COMEBACK WIN AT NEWCASTLE.

Gary Cahill’s first Premier League goal for nearly four years earned Crystal Palace a turnaround win at Newcastle United.

The centre-half headed in Eberechi Eze’s right-wing cross to become Palace’s oldest Premier League goalscorer, aged 35 years and 45 days, and give Palace back-to-back victories for the first time since Matchweek 2.

Newcastle had made a fast start as Callum Wilson set up Jonjo Shelvey to volley the hosts ahead inside two minutes.

But Palace hit back with two goals in five minutes, with Jairo Riedewald’s shot deflecting in off Ciaran Clark before Cahill’s effort.

Ryan Fraser had a shot saved by Vicente Guaita and Miguel Almiron hit the top of the bar with a free-kick, but Newcastle could not find an equaliser.

Palace move up to 13th place on 29 points, while Newcastle drop to 16th on 22 points, eight above the relegation zone.

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MAN UTD MATCH CITY’S GOAL WINNING RECORD WITH 9-0 BATCHING OF SOUTHAMPTON.

Manchester United equalled the biggest winning margin in Premier League history as they triumphed 9-0 against a Southampton side who finished with nine men.

Southampton made a nightmare start at Old Trafford as 19-year-old Alexandre Jankewitz was sent off just 79 seconds into his full Premier League debut for a high challenge on Scott McTominay.

Man Utd took advantage with Aaron Wan-Bissaka tapping in Luke Shaw’s cross before Mason Greenwood teed up Marcus Rashford to double the lead 25 minutes in.

Jan Bednarek then scored an own goal and Edinson Cavani headed in from a second Shaw assist to make it 4-0 at half-time.

After the break Bruno Fernandes set up substitute Anthony Martial to score before McTominay netted a fierce drive from long range.

It got even worse for Southampton when Bednarek was sent off for a denial of a goalscoring opportunity and Fernandes converted the resultant penalty.

Martial then struck his second before Daniel James rounded off the scoring with the last kick of the match, converting Fernandes’s header across the box.

United tie their own 9-0 win over Ipswich Town in 1995 and Leicester City’s victory by the same scoreline at Southampton in 2019.

It means they are behind Man City on goal difference alone but have played two matches more. Southampton drop to 12th after a fourth consecutive loss.

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BILLY SHARP’S STRIKE HELP SHEFFIELD EDGE WESTBROM.

Billy Sharp was the hero as Sheffield United came from behind to beat West Bromwich Albion in a battle between the Premier League’s bottom two teams.

West Brom took a 41st-minute lead when Matt Phillips reacted quickest after Aaron Ramsdale had saved shots from both Callum Robinson and Mbaye Diagne.

Sheff Utd lost George Baldock to injury but they equalised 11 minutes after the break as Chris Basham set up Jayden Bogle to smash in.

The turnaround was completed on 73 minutes, with Sharp firing in from 10 yards after John Egan had knocked Basham’s cross back into his path.

Sheff Utd stay bottom and are 11 points from safety, but a third win in five matches lifts them just a point behind 19th-placed West Brom, who are winless in four matches.

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WOLVES BEAT 9-MAN ARSENAL 2-1 TO END WINLESS RUN.

Wolverhampton Wanderers ended their eight-match winless run as they beat an Arsenal team who had two players sent off.

Arsenal made a strong start with Bukayo Saka hitting a post and having a goal overturned for offside before they took a 32nd-minute lead.

Nicolas Pepe nutmegged two Wolves players before curling a beauty past Rui Patricio.

But the match turned in first-half stoppage time, when David Luiz brought down Willian Jose in the penalty area and was shown a straight red card for making no attempt to play the ball.

Ruben Neves converted the spot-kick and Wolves were quick to make their man advantage count.

Just three minutes into the second half, Joao Moutinho unleashed a long-range strike into the top corner to complete the turnaround with his first goal at Molineux.

Things got worse for Arsenal on 72 minutes as their goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, made a deliberate handball outside the box and was sent off for denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

The win leaves Wolves 14th, five points behind 10th-placed Arsenal, who were beaten for the first time in eight matches and missed the chance to go sixth.

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VAN DIJK TO MISS REST OF THE SEASON – KLOPP

Jürgen Klopp today clarified that Virgil van Dijk is unlikely to play again in 2020-21.

The Liverpool No.4 has been sidelined with a knee ligament injury, which required surgery, since mid-October and is undergoing a rehabilitation programme.

At Tuesday’s pre-match press conference, Klopp was asked if Van Dijk will be included in the Reds’ updated Premier League squad list when it is submitted later this week.

“Whatever happens, I think we have space for Virgil on the Champions League list. I think he was on the Premier League list. Nobody told me I have to change something with that. If we have space in the Champions League list then Virgil will be on the list,” said the boss.

“In the moment, I don’t know where these things are coming from – nobody really, no doctor, nobody really told me there’s a chance for Virgil to play in this season again.

“I don’t want to say that’s absolutely impossible but it’s not likely. It’s not likely. We don’t have to discuss these things really.

“If we have space we would put them all on, even when all the medical people tell us there’s no chance. We put them on because we believe in miracles from time to time.

“But if there’s no place then we have to consider these kind of things and say, ‘The chance is not too big so we have to make the decision.’ But if they are on the list then it’s only because we hope for nearly a miracle. That’s it.”

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AVB OFFERS MARSEILLE RESIGNATION AFTER OLIVIER NTCHAM SIGNING


Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas has offered to resign as the club’s manager after the board went against his wishes and signed Olivier Ntcham.

In his press conference ahead of the Ligue 1 fixture against Lens tomorrow, Villas-Boas said: “I just want to leave Marseille.”
He feels that the signing did not fit the profile of what he was looking for and that the board went against his wishes by persisting with the transfer.

He said: “I have resigned because I don’t agree with the sporting policy of the club. I said no to the signing of Olivier Ntcham. He wasn’t on our list.

“Even for [the exit of] Nemanja Radonjic, I was told at the last moment. I don’t want anything from the club, I don’t want their money.

“I just want to leave. If the answer is no… Well, we’ll keep going.

“I love the club and I love Marseille, but you can’t touch my professionalism.

When I’m offered a guy who has nothing to do with the profile I’m looking for… No. I do not agree with the sporting policy.”

It’s been a difficult time of late for one of France’s most successful teams.

With one win in their last nine matches, they sit ninth in the table and recorded a dismal group stage in the Champions League, winning just once in their six games and finishing bottom.

Fans of the club stormed the training ground last week in protest and there were violent clashes with police officers during the events – defender Alvaro Gonzalez was also reportedly hit on the back with a projectile. It led to their match against Rennes the next day to be postponed.

If Villas-Boas is granted his wish and leaves the club, it could plunge Marseille into further trouble for the remainder of the season.

Dithering in mid-table is not what fans have come to expect of the club and cutting ties with the manager who secured them second spot in the league and a return to the Champions League may, in the long run, have further negative effects on the club.

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LIVERPOOL SEAL BEN DAVIES ON A LONG TERM SIGNING

Liverpool have completed the signing of Ben Davies from Preston North End on a long-term contract.

The 25-year-old centre-back has put pen to paper on a deal with the Reds on deadline day to tie up his transfer from the Championship club and bolster Jürgen Klopp’s defensive ranks.

Davies told Liverpoolfc.com during his first interview at Anfield: “I’m obviously delighted to be here.

“It’s a huge opportunity. Obviously it came as a bit of a surprise when it first came but once you start to get your head around it, the opportunity that is in front of me is incredible. I’d be silly to not make the most of it and learn off the players [at the club].

“I’ve never actually been to Anfield and I haven’t had a look around yet. I had a quick look out and had a look at the pitch and it looks like carpet, which obviously you’d expect.

“I haven’t actually walked out of the tunnel yet, so I’m looking forward to that. Just to be in this kind of atmosphere is brilliant.”

Davies graduated through the academy ranks at Preston and went on to represent them on 145 occasions, scoring two goals, following his senior debut in January 2013.

The Englishman, who will take the vacant No.28 shirt at Liverpool, claimed Preston’s 2019 Player of the Year award for his form.

“I want to come in and play games to start with, I want to get my foot in the door and make myself a Premier League player rather than obviously a Championship player. And then take it from there really,” he said.

“I know we’ve got some top players here and players I can certainly learn from. Once you get your foot in the door then you’re here as well. Hopefully I can take my chance and then move forward with it.

“I’m looking forward to coming in and playing in front of everyone and showing everyone what I can do. I’m sure a lot of fans and people don’t know [me], or haven’t even seen me play.

“It’s definitely an exciting time and I think they’ll quite enjoy watching me when I’m playing well.”

Davies graduated through the academy ranks at Preston and went on to represent them on 145 occasions, scoring two goals, following his senior debut in January 2013.

The Englishman, who will take the vacant No.28 shirt at Liverpool, claimed Preston’s 2019 Player of the Year award for his form.

“I want to come in and play games to start with, I want to get my foot in the door and make myself a Premier League player rather than obviously a Championship player. And then take it from there really,” he said.

“I know we’ve got some top players here and players I can certainly learn from. Once you get your foot in the door then you’re here as well. Hopefully I can take my chance and then move forward with it.

“I’m looking forward to coming in and playing in front of everyone and showing everyone what I can do. I’m sure a lot of fans and people don’t know [me], or haven’t even seen me play.

“It’s definitely an exciting time and I think they’ll quite enjoy watching me when I’m playing well.”

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LIVERPOOL COMPLETE LOAN DEAL FOR OZAN KABAK

Liverpool have completed the transfer of Ozan Kabak from Schalke 04 on loan until the end of the season, subject to international clearance.

The 20-year-old defender will spend the remainder of 2020-21 with the Reds after he put pen to paper on the deal on deadline day.

Kabak completed the formalities of the switch in Germany and will travel to Merseyside later this week.

The Turkey international arrives at Anfield after two years in the Bundesliga, where he represented VfB Stuttgart before joining Schalke in July 2019.

Prior to moving to Germany, Kabak came through the ranks at Galatasaray, where he gained Champions League experience with four appearances in the tournament in 2018-19.

On the international front, he has earned seven caps for Turkey to date.

He will wear No.19 for Liverpool.