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LIVERPOOL 1-0 AJAX: CURTIS JONES SECOND HALF GOAL SECURES CRUCIAL WIN FOR KLOPP SIDE.

A fine Curtis Jones goal was enough to give Liverpool a 1-0 win over Ajax with the victory confirming the Reds’ progression into the Champions League knockout stages as group winners.

The game got off to a pulsating start with Jones hitting the post five minutes in. Ajax had several chances of their own in the first half with Champions League debutant Caoimhin Kelleher being kept busy in the Liverpool goal.

After the break, the Reds managed to poke their noses in front with two academy graduates combining; Neco Williams swung in a looping cross and a stranded Andre Onana could only watch as Jones provided a cute finish from the angle to put the Reds 1-0 up.

After substitute Roberto Firmino missed a gilt-edged chance, the Reds had Kelleher to thanks late on with the Irishman, making a point-blank save to deny Klaas- Jan Hunteelar’s header.

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GUS POYET RULES SELF OUT OF SUNDERLAND RETURN.

Gus Poyet has reportedly ruled himself out of the reckoning to become the new Sunderland manager.

According to reports, the former Black Cats boss would prefer to not drop down to League One, despite being the bookies favourite.

It is understood that Sunderland have spoken to a number of candidates with a decision set to be made ahead of the weekend clash with Wigan Atheltic.

Victory against Burton Albion tonight would give the Sunderland board more time to go over a decision, but failure to win would heap more pressure on any incoming manager to achieve automatic promotion.

Keith Downie of Sky Sports News tweeted: “Gus Poyet will NOT be making a dramatic return to Sunderland – despite a big shift in the bookies’ odds.

“The Uruguayan was a candidate, but I understand he would prefer not to drop down to League One. Poyet left Sunderland when they were in the Premier League in 2015.

” I understand Sunderland have spoken to a number of candidates in the past 48 hours abs have been inundated with applications.

“Poyet was a candidate but won’t be coming back”

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UEFA ANNOUNCE NOMINEES FOR TEAM OF THE YEAR FEATURING 14 PREMIER LEAGUE STARS.

UEFA have announced the 50 nominees for their Team of the Year – including 14 players from the Premier League.

Fans will determine the final make-up of the side with nominees coming from 21 different clubs and 19 separate national teams.

The contenders have been selected ‘on the basis of their performances in UEFA competitions and domestic competitions within UEFA member associations from January to December 2020’.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the 17th successive year, and has featured in the last 13 Teams of the Year.

Great rival Lionel Messi has his 15th nomination and is eyeing a place in the final side for the 11th occasion.

Bayern Munich have the most representatives with 10 players after they won the Champions League earlier this year, while Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have eight each.

Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are the Reds stars on the shortlist.

They are joined by Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, Thiago Silva and Kai Havertz from Chelsea, Harry Kane from Tottenham and Bruno Fernandes from Manchester United.

Nominees in full
Goalkeepers: Alisson Becker (Liverpool), Anthony Lopes (Olympique Lyon), Keylor Navas (Paris Saint-Germain), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid).

Defenders: David Alaba (Bayern Munich), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Angelino (RB Leipzig), Juan Bernat (Paris Saint-Germain), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Matthijs de Ligt ( Juventus ), Stefan de Vrij (Inter Milan), Hans Hateboer (Atalanta), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Sergio Ramos ( Real Madrid ), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain/Chelsea), Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool).

Midfielders: Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich/Liverpool), Hossem Aouar (Olympique Lyon), Ever Banega (Sevilla/Al-Shabab), Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Papu Gomez (Atalanta), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen/Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Marcel Sabitzer (RB Leipzig).

Forwards:Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund), Angel di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan), Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona ), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City).

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FA CUP DRAW: TOTTENHAM FACE MARINE, ARSENAL MEET NEWCASTLE IN THIRD ROUND FIXTURES.

Defending champions Arsenal welcome Newcastle United in the FA Cup third round, while eighth-tier Marine, the joint lowest-ranked team in the competition, landed a lucrative encounter with Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur in Monday’s draw.

Twelve-times winners Manchester United play host to second-tier Watford, while Premier League champions Liverpool face a tricky trip to Aston Villa as they look to avenge last month’s 7-2 league defeat.

Manchester City are at home to Birmingham City, while Chelsea welcome fourth-tier side Morecambe. Crystal Palace make the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers in an all-Premier League showdown.

The third round, to be played across the weekend of Jan 9-10, is when teams from the Premier League and second-tier Championship join the competition.

The FA Cup has scrapped replays for this season to help ease fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 crisis, amplifying the chances of a few additional upsets en route to the showpiece match at Wembley on May 15, 2021.

Third round draw:

Huddersfield Town vs. Plymouth Argyle

Southampton vs. Shrewsbury Town

Chorley vs. Derby County

Marine vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Crystal Palace

Stockport County vs. West Ham United

Oldham Athletic vs. AFC Bournemouth

Manchester United vs. Watford

Stevenage vs. Swansea City

Everton vs. Rotherham United

Nottingham Forest vs. Cardiff City

Arsenal vs. Newcastle United

Barnsley vs. Tranmere Rovers

Bristol Rovers vs. Sheffield United

Boreham Wood vs. Millwall

Blackburn Rovers vs. Doncaster Rovers

Stoke City vs. Leicester City

Wycombe Wanderers vs. Preston North End

Crawley Town vs. Leeds United

Burnley vs. Milton Keynes Dons

Bristol City vs. Portsmouth

Queens Park Rangers vs. Fulham

Aston Villa vs. Liverpool

Brentford vs. Middlesbrough

Manchester City vs. Birmingham City

Luton Town vs. Reading

Chelsea vs. Morecambe

Exeter City vs. Sheffield Wednesday

Norwich City vs. Coventry City

Blackpool vs. West Bromwich Albion

Newport County vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

Cheltenham Town vs. Mansfield Town

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JACK GREALISH WANTS VAR SCRAPPED AFTER ASTON VILLA SUFFER DEFEAT TO WESTHAM.

Jack Grealish has called to ‘get rid’ of VAR after Aston Villa were controversially denied a late equaliser in their dramatic 2-1 defeat to West Ham at the London Stadium.

The Villans attempted to muster a fightback after Jarrod Bowen put the hosts ahead at the start of the second half with a deft header but were unable to score the all-important leveller.

Grealish, 25, had evened the scores in the first half with a fine individual goal after Angelo Ogbonna opened the scoring with a powerful header in just the second minute of the game.

Villa had the Hammers under the cosh in the latter stages, and striker Ollie Watkins had a game to forget having missed from the penalty spot before seeing his late strike ruled out.

The former Brentford striker latched onto a wonderful Matt Targett cross to strike home beyond Lukasz Fabianski in stoppage time, in what Villa thought was the sought-after equaliser.

However, VAR intervened to deem that the Englishman was marginally offside, with the top of his arm just straying beyond the last West Ham defender.

Villa boss Dean Smith, as well as Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, have argued that Watkins’ arm was in that position because he had in fact been fouled by Ogbonna when the ball was played in.

And Grealish, who has already made his thoughts on VAR public following last week’s controversial defeat to Brighton at Villa Park, has once again hit out at the video technology.

‘As for VAR, I’ve shared my views before and it’s now just getting borderline embarrassing with some off the decisions. Ruining the game,’ the Villa captain tweeted to his 388,000 followers on Twitter after the game.

The England international also posted ‘VAR get rid’ to his 1.1million followers on Instagram.

Grealish’s latest comments follow his criticism last week after Villa were denied a late penalty against the Seagulls following a VAR review.

After the game at Villa Park, Grealish tweeted: ‘VAR = LMAO’.

They have given offside for a part of the body that can’t put the ball in the back of the net,’ Villa boss Smith said after the game. ‘The only reason the arm is where it is, is because he is being fouled by someone who had his arms round his neck.’

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WESTHAM 2-1 ASTONVILLA: BOWEN STARS AS THE HAMMERS BEAT VILLA TO CLIMB TO FIFTH ON THE LOG.

Jarrod Bowen’s header helped West Ham move up to fifth with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, who missed a penalty and had a late goal ruled out for offiside.

The Hammers took the lead in the second minute, Angelo Ogbonna climbing highest from a Bowen corner to send a towering header into the net.

With 25 minutes gone Jack Grealish’s on-target shot took a slight deflection off Ogbonna’s boot and flew into the West Ham net to make the score 1-1.

A minute after half-time, a fluent passing move from the hosts ended with Bowen flicking in a deft header following a cross from Said Benrahma, who made an impact only 30 seconds after coming on as a half-time substitute.

After Declan Rice fouled Trezeguet in the penalty area with 16 minutes remaining, Ollie Watkins crashed the resulting spot-kick against the crossbar.

Watkins did have the ball in the net in stoppage time but his effort was overturned for offside following a VAR review as West Ham claimed their third straight win.

West Ham climb to fifth on 17 points while Villa drop to 10th on 15 points.

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LEICESTER 1-2 FULHAM: FULHAM CLIMBS OUT OF BOTTOM THREE AFTER BEATING THE FOXES AT KING POWER.

Goals from Ademola Lookman and Ivan Cavaleiro helped Fulham climb out of the bottom three with an impressive 2-1 victory at Leicester City.

The hosts almost opened the scoring after 19 minutes when Youri Tielemans and Wesley Fofana both hit the woodwork following a James Maddison free-kick.

But on 30 minutes, Fulham’s Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa made a fine run through midfield before sliding a perfect pass to Lookman, who finished with aplomb.

Eight minutes later Fulham doubled their lead after Christian Fuchs was adjudged to have fouled Bobby De Cordova-Reid following a referee review and Cavaleiro converted the penalty.

With four minutes to go, substitute Harvey Barnes produced a sweet finish after Jamie Vardy’s cushioned header and Kelechi Iheanacho’s shot was then deflected wide in stoppage time but Scott Parker’s men held on.

Fulham climb to 17th on seven points while Leicester stay fourth with 18 points, one point behind Chelsea in third.

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CHELSEA 0-0 TOTTENHAM: SPURS RETAIN TOP SPOT DESPITE STALEMATE AT THE BRIDGE.

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur extended their lengthy unbeaten runs with a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.

Timo Werner looked to have opened the scoring on 11 minutes, but the striker was adjudged to have been offside upon receiving the pass from Mason Mount.

Four minutes later Serge Aurier tested Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy with a low shot from outside the penalty area.

In a tactical affair Mount almost broke the deadlock 10 minutes from time when forcing Hugo Lloris into action from range.

Olivier Giroud might have stolen all three points late on but he was unable to capitalise on a loose touch from Joe Rodon, making his first top-flight start, when his attempted lob was directed straight at Lloris.

Spurs’ ninth consecutive unbeaten match takes them top of the table on goal difference with 21 points from 10 matches.

An eighth league outing without defeat for Chelsea puts them two points back in third.

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ARSENAL 1-2 WOLVES: WOLVES MOVE TO SIXTH AFTER RARE WIN AT THE EMIRATES.

Two first-half goals were enough for Wolverhampton Wanderers to claim a rare victory at Arsenal.

There was a lengthy delay for treatment after David Luiz and Raul Jimenez clashed heads in the fifth minute, with the latter taken off on a stretcher and replaced by Fabio Silva.

Wolves were ahead after 27 minutes through Pedro Neto, who reacted quickest to a loose ball after Leander Dendoncker had headed against the crossbar.

That lead lasted three minutes as Gabriel rose highest to head Willian’s cross past Rui Patricio.

However, Wolves fought back and regained the advantage before half-time thanks to Daniel Podence’s piece of skill and smart finish.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang twice came close to drawing Arsenal level but his shot was blocked by Conor Coady and his header with eight minutes to play went wide.

The Gunners, who have lost their last three home league matches, are in 14th on 13 points.

Wolves’ third away win of the season, and their first at the Gunners since 1979, puts them in sixth with 17 points.

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SOTON 2-3 MAN UTD: CAVANI BRACE COMPLETES COME BACK WIN FOR RED DEVILS.

Substitute Edinson Cavani scored twice as Manchester United came from two goals down to win 3-2 at Southampton.

Ralf Hasenhuttl’s side led when Jan Bednarek scored after 23 minutes, nodding in James Ward-Prowse’s corner.

Alex McCarthy stood firm to deny first Mason Greenwood and then Bruno Fernandes on the follow-up before Ward-Prowse doubled the hosts’ lead.

The midfielder’s curling 33rd-minute free-kick evaded David De Gea, who collided with a post and was replaced at the interval by Dean Henderson.

But it was United’s other half-time substitute who made the greatest impact.

Cavani teed up Fernandes to score on the turn just before the hour.

The striker then dived to head United level on 74 minutes before snatching an eighth successive away league victory for his side with another header in added time.

The win moves Man Utd up to eighth, with 16 points from nine matches. Southampton are fifth on 17.