Sadio Mane: Liverpool forward's house burgled during Champions League match
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane's house was burgled while he was playing in the Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Items including watches, mobile phones and car keys were stolen. The incident happened at Mane's house in Allerton, south Liverpool between 18:00 and 23:45 GMT - while the 26-year-old was at Anfield. No-one was in the property at the time. Forensic examinations are under way and a police investigation is ongoing. Detective Inspector Phil Mahon, of Merseyside Police, said: "We are appealing for anyone with information in relation to this burglary to please come forward and assist our inquiries. "While the occupants were not present at the time of the incident this will no doubt be a distressing experience for them and I would ask the offenders to do the right thing and return the stolen items to the owner in any way possible. "We know the watches in particular are of significant monetary value and I would also like to appeal to anyone who might have been offered the items for sale since the burglary to contact police." Senegal international Mane was burgled in November 2017 while he was at Anfield for a Champions League game against Maribor. A gang was thought to have broken into his home first before smashing a patio door at the nearby address of team-mate Dejan Lovren before they fled when a woman shouted she was calling the police.
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2019-02-21 02:00:00
Felipe Anderson: West Ham midfielder on family, humble origins and his friend Neymar
West Ham's Brazilian midfielder Felipe Anderson has never forgotten what it was like growing up. "A difficult childhood," he says, with a smile, "but a happy one." He then explains what a difficult childhood, as the youngest of five siblings living in Santa Maria, in the south of the country, 150 miles from the border with Uruguay, actually means. "There were times when we didn't have enough food on the table. When it came to the end of the month, I could see my parents were sad because they were unable to give us the best. They had lots of debts. Sometimes they had arguments about it." Buying a pair of football boots, despite having obvious talent and a fierce determination to make the most of it, was impossible. "That was not something I saw as an obstacle. If it meant I had to borrow boots from friends so be it. "I take strength from that now. It has helped me to keep my feet on the ground and remain humble and also have a drive to help others because I know there are so many people in difficult situations." It is why Anderson helps his family out back home and also explains why a 90-minute school visit in Barking is full of smiles. A well-received surprise visit to a hall full of primary school children is the high point of a Hammers' visit, the kind of which vice-chairman Karren Brady pledged the club would make when she launched the club's ambitious Players' Project in November. The project brings a focus to the club's community work and greater investment to deprived local communities. The
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2019-02-21 02:00:00
Chelsea v Man Utd in FA Cup: Darren Fletcher analysis - Pogba, Kante, Jorginho
Darren Fletcher joins Alan Shearer, Phil Neville, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Gary Lineker at Stamford Bridge on Monday for live coverage of Chelsea v Manchester United in the FA Cup on BBC One and the BBC Sport website from 19:00 GMT. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tactical flexibility has already seen his side win at Tottenham and Arsenal in the past month and it could be the key to them beating Chelsea on Monday too. United will be without Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial for their fifth-round FA Cup tie because of injury, but Solskjaer will still have plenty of options over how he sets his team up, and crucially he will be able to change things during the game too. That flexibility is the biggest difference between United and Chelsea at the moment, because we know what we are going to get from Maurizio Sarri's side. The Blues boss is not going to move away from his 4-3-3 formation, and his players are very restricted in terms of alternating positions and where they operate on the pitch. That can be a strength as players know the system so well, but at the moment being so rigid is also a weakness, especially in a scenario like this one. It means playing Chelsea is an easier game to prepare for, because there are not going to be any surprises. United can look at their previous matches to identify any weaknesses and come up with a game plan. But if that plan doesn't work for them, in an instant United can adjust their shape - and their players are adaptable enough to do that constantly if they have to. In my time at United, Stamford Bridge was a notoriously hard place to go. They have only won twice there since 2002 and have lost 14 out of their past 22 visits. But despite that poor record, I think Solskjaer will look at this game and think there are opportunities to exploit in the same way United did at Wembley and Emirates Stadium.
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2019-02-18 02:00:00
Captain Scott Brown was shown a second yellow card for celebrating after his 90th-minute winner at Kilmarnock moved Celtic eight points clear in the Scottish Premiership.
Brown's shot struck Alex Bruce and spun past Dan Bachmann to earn the leaders a first win in three games in Ayrshire. Kirk Broadfoot had earlier been sent off for a high challenge on Brown. The win maintains Celtic's record of winning all of their eight domestic games in 2019 without conceding. And with Rangers and Aberdeen failing to win on Saturday, it means Brendan Rodgers' side have responded to their Europa League humbling against Valencia by extending their lead in the Premiership. Kilmarnock, who had a Conor McAleny effort disallowed for handball, stay fourth and sit one point behind Aberdeen. Familiar feeling It had been an assured start to the new year for Celtic. Seven wins, 21 goals scored, none conceded. Then it was derailed with Thursday's 2-0 reverse against Valencia. Early on in Ayrshire it did not look like they were suffering any hangover. They began in their usual confident manner, but after two early attempts from Odsonne Edouard failed to find the net, Kilmarnock began to grab a foothold in the game. It was an all too familiar feeling for Celtic. They had lost on their last two trips to Rugby Park, and they spent the last few minutes of the first half on the ropes. Jordan Jones skipped past his man and floated in a dangerous ball, then McAleny also bustled his way through the backline before a last-ditch challenge stopped him as he was about to shoot. With Kieran Tierney and Emilio Izaguirre missing, Jonny Hayes slotted in at left-back for Celtic. The Republic of Ireland winger has had a troubled time at Celtic, and Kilmarnock began to pinpoint him as a weakness. But when Celtic went forward, Hayes was at the centre of much of their work as play bounced from end to end. The game had a cup-tie feel about it. A point would not have been the worst for either side, with Celtic comfortable at the top and Kilmarnock in the mix for a Europa League spot. But both continued to pour forward at every opportunity. McAleny found the net for Kilmarnock with a lovely turn and shot, but referee Bobby Madden correctly ruled it out for handball. But Celtic were beginning to have the better of it when Kilmarnock found themselves a man down. Broadfoot's foot was high when he lunged at Celtic captain Brown, catching him on the ankle. The referee showed him a straight red card, and suddenly the hosts' task had grown. Ryan Christie headed just wide as Celtic pressed for a winner, but Kilmarnock looked like they had survived the pressure before Brown steamed on to a Dedryck Boyata header to skid past Bachman with the aid of Bruce's unfortunate intervention. Brown, already on a yellow card for an earlier challenge on Greg Taylor, was then ordered off after rushing to the crowd during wild celebrations.
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2019-02-18 02:00:00
Crystal Palace midfielder Jeffrey Schlupp says the Eagles are "in a good position to get to Wembley" after his goal helped his team overcome League One side Doncaster Rovers to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Schlupp scored in the eighth minute and Max Meyer headed in a second just before half-time as Palace won 2-0 at Keepmoat Stadium. The last eight will feature only two of the top six teams in the Premier League - Manchester City and either Chelsea or Manchester United, who play each other in the last fifth-round tie on Monday. Along with Palace, the other Premier League sides left in the competition are Wolves, Watford and Brighton, with Swansea and Millwall - both in the bottom half of the Championship - also still in the cup. "It's a great tournament but if we get a lesser team, so to speak, we have a great chance," Schlupp told the BBC. "It was tough, we'd seen their form and we knew it was going to be tough. But we are pleased to have won, and we scored two good goals. "We knew if we got past this we'd be in a good position to get to Wembley." There are 36 league places between Palace and Doncaster and the Eagles took an early lead when Schlupp shot low into the net after a fine individual run. Meyer then nodded in from Andros Townsend's headed cross to double the visitors' lead in first-half injury time. Doncaster, who were aiming to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history, had a better second half but Ben Whiteman's shot was saved by Wayne Hennessey, Alfie May headed over from close range and James Coppinger's effort was deflected wide. Doncaster's run comes to an end The Eagles have never won the FA Cup, losing twice in finals to Manchester United in 1990 and 2016, but this was also only the second time in 23 years they had reached the last eight. The quarter-final draw will be made after the Chelsea v Manchester United match and the last-eight ties will be played from 15-18 March, with winning clubs receiving
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2019-02-18 02:00:00
Bernardo Silva: Man City defender says, 'We thought we'd lost the Premier League'
Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva says he and his team-mates thought they had lost the league when they dropped five points behind rivals Liverpool eight days ago. Pep Guardiola's side went top for the first time in two months following a 2-0 win at Everton on Wednesday. However, they are only above Liverpool on goal difference and the Reds have a game in hand. "We are still the champions and we know what we have to do to win," Silva said. The Portugal international has been one of City's standout performers of the season so far. He added: "A few days ago, we thought we had lost the Premier League. Now we are top of the league, even if it is because we have played one game more. "It is good to be back in the race and we will do our best to win all our games and do our job. That is the most important thing for now. "We have three points more and it puts a bit of pressure on, not just for Liverpool but for Tottenham as well." Earlier in February City faced the prospect of falling seven points adrift of Liverpool after losing to Newcastle, but successive 1-1 draws for the Reds against Leicester and West Ham, coupled with back-to-back wins for City, have reduced the deficit. City are still fighting on four fronts and they face Newport in the FA Cup, Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and Schalke in the Champions League all before the end of the month. "In my opinion, it is not problematic at all - especially when you have a squad like ours," Silva said. "If we don't have injuries then I think we can cope, no problem at all. It is good to have lots of games as it means we are fighting for everything. Mentally it is good. We will try to do it."
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2019-02-08 02:00:00
Alfredo Morelos: Rangers appeal against striker's red card v Aberdeen
Rangers have appealed against Alfredo Morelos' sending off against Aberdeen on Wednesday - the striker's third dismissal against the Pittodrie club this term. Morelos and Scott McKenna, who were involved in an incident in the first game of the season, were both shown red cards by Bobby Madden after appearing to aim kicks at each other. The hearing will be held on Friday at 18:00 GMT, meaning the Colombian could be available for Saturday's Scottish Cup last-16 tie with Kilmarnock. Morelos had an appeal upheld after being sent off at Pittodrie in August when he was deemed to have swung a leg at McKenna. He was then sent off when the sides met at Ibrox in December, after receiving a second booking for throwing an arm at Graeme Shinnie. Both players received automatic two-game bans, meaning Morelos stands to miss Saturday's cup tie, then the Scottish Premiership visit of St Johnstone a week later, should his appeal fail. In the aftermath of Wednesday's 4-2 win over Aberdeen - in which Morelos scored twice - manager Steven Gerrard said the Colombian must "channel his aggression" if he is to "go to the next level". "I haven't had the chance to analyse the incident so I can't tell you if Scott deserved a red or whether Alfredo did," he said. "They've had a fantastic battle up until that point. "But if Alfredo is in the wrong, he'll deserve the red card. He'll then be missing for two games and that's how he'll get punished because he hates missing games." How does the process work? If SPFL clubs decide to appeal against a decision for serious foul play, they must prove that an obvious refereeing error has been made. They have until 13:00 on the first working day after the match to lodge their intention to appeal - Thursday in this case - with their claim needing to be submitted by 17:00 the next day. Any hearing will take place "as soon as possible after 17:00" on that day. The player or any other personnel cannot attend the hearings, which will be a video conference between a tribunal of trained, independent judicial panel members. As of this season, the compliance officer plays no part in the proceedings.
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2019-02-08 02:00:00
West Ham hand over evidence to police in Mohamed Salah racism investigation
West Ham say they have handed over all of their evidence to the police after completing a "thorough and immediate" investigation into racist abuse shouted at Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. The incident happened during Monday's 1-1 draw at London Stadium. Egypt striker Salah, 26, was filmed on a mobile phone from a section of home supporters as he was taking a corner. "The club is unequivocal in its stance - such abuse will not be tolerated," West Ham said in a statement. "Following the abhorrent racist abuse aimed at Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah on Monday night, West Ham can confirm that it has handed evidence to the Metropolitan Police." The footage, taken by a fellow fan, shows expletives directed at Salah including about his Muslim religion. The user who posted the video on Twitter said: "I was disgusted by what I was hearing. People like this deserve no place in our society let alone football matches."
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2019-02-08 02:00:00
Emiliano Sala: Body identified as Cardiff City footballer
The body recovered from the wreckage of a crashed plane is that of Cardiff City player Emiliano Sala, Dorset Police have said. Sala, 28, was travelling to Cardiff in a plane piloted by David Ibbotson, which went missing over the English Channel on 21 January. The Argentine's body was recovered late on Wednesday after the wreckage was found on Sunday morning. Dorset Police confirmed the identification on Thursday night. In a statement, the force said: "The body brought to Portland Port today, Thursday 7 February 2019, has been formally identified by HM Coroner for Dorset as that of professional footballer Emiliano Sala. "The families of Mr Sala and the pilot David Ibbotson have been updated with this news and will continue to be supported by specially-trained family liaison officers." The body was spotted in the wreckage of the plane on Monday and the authorities were able to recover it two days later, despite "challenging conditions". The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) said the operation had been carried out "as dignified a way as possible" and the men's families were kept updated throughout. The Geo Ocean III, which was involved in finding the wreckage, took the body back to the nearest port of Portland in Dorset, where the body was formally identified. The Piper Malibu N264DB was en route from France to Cardiff, after the Argentine striker made a quick trip back to his former club Nantes two days after his
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2019-02-08 02:00:00
Everton: Marco Silva & Farhad Moshiri coming up short amid grand ambitions
Everton manager Marco Silva returns to Watford on Saturday facing the double jeopardy of a former club still locked in acrimonious dispute with his current employers and a season fading into mediocrity. Manchester City's 2-0 win at Everton on Wednesday came after a vastly-improved display from Silva's side but extends a dismal sequence of only three wins from 13 Premier League games which also contained an FA Cup fourth round loss at Championship strugglers Millwall. Everton have spent in the region of