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Swansea's Jonjo Shelvey unleashes a shot in the 73rd minute, which flicked off teammate Bafetimbi Gomis and flew past United goalkeeper David de Gea for Swansea's winning goal. Swansea came from behind to win 2-1. Photo: Reuters
Sadio Mane was left out of Southampton's starting XI for the home defeat to Liverpool after arriving late.
Southampton coach Ronald Koeman has revealed that Sadio Mane was left out of their 2-0 Premier League home defeat to Liverpool on Sunday because he turned up late.
Mane came on as a substitute in the 57th minute of the clash at St Mary's Stadium, with Bosnia international Filip Djuricic named in the starting XI for the first time instead of the Senegal forward.
Mane has been one of the key performers in Southampton's excellent season, which sees them firmly in contention for UEFA Champions League qualification.
But Koeman was forced to drop Mane for his lack of punctuality, leaving him to watch from the sidelines for almost an hour as Liverpool gained ground in the race for the top four with an early wonder-strike from Philippe Coutinho and a Raheem Sterliing effort 17 minutes from time.
"He was supposed to play from the beginning. We have rules we have to respect," Koeman told BBC Radio Solent.
"I had a problem because Sadio was too late at the stadium."
Southampton are now just a point ahead of Liverpool in fifth place and trail fourth-placed Manchester United by a point.
Leicester cannot dwell on late Everton leveller, says Pearson
22 February 2015
Nigel Pearson was disappointed to see Leicester City squander victory at Everton, but is keen for his players to keep their heads held high.
Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson has urged his side not to dwell on the manner of Sunday's 2-2 draw at Everton after a late Matthew Upson own goal denied them a much-needed win.
The Premier League's bottom club appeared on course for a victory that would have moved them within two points of safety, with David Nugent and Esteban Cambiasso capitalising on errors from Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard to turn the game on its head following Steven Naismith's 57th-minute opener for the hosts.
But there was a final twist in the tale at Goodison Park as Upson deflected Romelu Lukaku's header from Christian Atsu's cross in at the near-post with a minute of normal time remaining.
Pearson admitted the draw felt like a defeat, but wants his players to focus on replicating the same kind of performance rather than on the late disappointment.
"It feels a bit like a defeat at moment because their equaliser came so late but we forced the issue right to the end," Pearson told Sky Sports.
"We frustrated Everton and their fans to a certain extent as we played with a lot of discipline and we looked dangerous.
"What's needed is more wins and we will get them if we perform to that standard. We have put in some good performances that have not yielded the points.
"The fashion of the result is the hardest thing. What we have to do is look forward, we can't dwell on this. We have very capable players and we have to start turning the performances into results."
Pearson is the bookmakers' favourite to be the next manager removed from his post and was reported to have been sacked two weeks ago before Leicester issued a denial.
But Pearson insists he is not affected by the continued speculation.
"I can't do too much about what is being speculated," Pearson added. "I always do my job as conscientiously as I can and I will continue to do that until I am told otherwise. I'm committed to job and that's all you need to know.
"All managers work in situations where things can change quickly. I have always been very supportive of our owners, and they have of me, and they will make decisions that are right for this football club."
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce rued a lack of luck after they let a two-goal lead slip to draw 2-2 with Tottenham in the Premier League.
Sam Allardyce rued West Ham's misfortune and was frustrated with Alex Song for giving away a last-gasp penalty after his side squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Tottenham in the Premier League.
West Ham won twice at White Hart Lane last season and looked set to secure victory at the home of their London rivals once again when they were in command courtesy of goals from Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho.
Allardyce's men had chances to extend their lead further in an impressive display at the end of a week of frenzied speculation over the 60-year-old manager's future and they were left to rue not killing the game off.
Danny Rose pulled a goal back with a scuffed strike nine minutes from time and Harry Kane snatched a point with the last kick of the game with he tucked in the rebound after Adrian had saved his spot-kick.
Kane's penalty was awarded after he went down under a challenge from Song and Allardyce felt the experienced midfielder should have kept his hands to himself.
He said: "You've got to win it when you've got in the position to win it.
"Our flaw since new year has just been how many times we've been in the lead and how many times we haven't seen that lead into a victory.
"That's why we've slipped into the position we're in. Had we taken full advantage of the leads we have taken, we would be sitting in sixth or fifth position in the league, maybe even better than that.
"Rather than our deficiency I thought it was more good fortune for Tottenham. The first goal was a complete mishit, when it bounces over the goalkeeper after its hit the floor.
"It's so unusual that sort of thing happens and it sneaks in the corner. It lifts the opposition and from our point of view, Alex has to keep his hands off him, because he's going to feel that contact and take to the floor.
"He's got to, it's no one's doubt that when you're losing at that stage of the game you know you're not going to score because he's kicked it too far.
"You're going to take the chance and the referee gives him the opportunity to take the penalty and he wasn't good enough to score that, but lucky enough to get the rebound.
"It all ends up with being very unlucky, but on the penalty if we'd have just kept our head a bit, we'd have seen out the result. It was a great performance, but not a great result."
Juan Cuadrado needs time to settle into life in the Premier League before he reaches his potential, says Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho knows there is plenty more to come from Chelsea new boy Juan Cuadrado.
The Colombia international completed a deadline-day move to Stamford Bridge from Serie A earlier this month, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal.
Saturday's 1-1 draw with Burnley saw Cuadrado make his fourth appearance in all competitions, and Mourinho is willing to be patient as he waits for the 26-year-old to hit top form.
"He is adapting," said the Chelsea boss. "He needs to adapt in everything.
"The pace of the game, in Italy it's completely different, the intensity is much higher [here], it is different to play at the intensity we play – especially for 90 minutes.
"At Fiorentina he was playing as a wide player, here he has to go to areas where he's not adapted to it.
"I truly believe we are not seeing the player we know we have because the kid needs to adapt."
Cuadrado's performances for Fiorentina over the past two-and-a-half seasons brought him to the attention of Europe's top clubs, with his impact for Colombia at the World Cup speeding up his departure from Italy.
Manchester City have "a lot of time" to catch Premier League leaders Chelsea, said Manuel Pellegrini after a 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle.
Manuel Pellegrini feels there is still plenty of time for his Manchester City team to overhaul leaders Chelsea in the race for the Premier League title.
Saturday's 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium cut the deficit to Jose Mourinho's men to five points, after Chelsea had been surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Burnley.
The reigning champions' thumping win represented their first success on home soil in four attempts and provided further evidence of a welcome return to form following a 4-1 victory at Stoke City in their last outing.
City came from behind late in the season to claim each of their two Premier League titles to date, and Pellegrini remains optimistic of enjoying further success this term.
He told BBC Sport: "I'm very pleased because we returned to being a scoring team here at home and also because we didn't concede goals.
"Of course if the other teams drop points it's better for us, especially Chelsea because we don't depend on just what we can do.
"All the other teams are behind us in the table, so it doesn't matter what they do if we continue winning. If we want to continue fighting for the title, we need Chelsea to drop more points, but we have to play [for] another 36 points more, so that's a lot of time."
Having seen his side open up a five-goal lead inside 53 minutes, Pellegrini was afforded the luxury of resting Sergio Aguero and David Silva for the final half-hour against Newcastle, with a UEFA Champions League tie against Barcelona only three days away.
"I think it's very important to arrive to that game winning," Pellegrini added.
"That's why for me it was so important during the week just to focus our minds on this game [against Newcastle] and now we have three days to prepare [for] the game against Barcelona."
Mourinho vents anger at perceived unfair treatment
22 February 2015
A frustrated Jose Mourinho used a television appearance on Sunday to again bemoan a series of decisions he feels have gone against Chelsea.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has once again alluded to perceived unfair treatment of his side, suggesting decisions are going against them "week after week".
Mourinho was fined by the Football Association last month and warned about his future conduct after claiming there was a "campaign" against Chelsea.
The Portuguese has frequently expressed unhappiness with referees this season and was angered by a number of incidents in a 1-1 Premier League draw with Burnley on Saturday, a result that allowed Manchester City to close the gap on leaders Chelsea to five points.
Chelsea saw two strong penalty shouts turned down in that match, while Ashley Barnes escaped sanctions for challenges on Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Matic that Mourinho believed were worthy of red cards, with the latter tackle prompting a furious reaction from Matic that saw the Serbian dismissed.
In an appearance on Sky Sports' Goals on Sunday programme, Mourinho made his frustration clear, while acknowledging he may yet face further FA punishment for speaking his mind.
"I am not attacking the honesty, the dignity of anyone. I am not trying to - and in this country you love this sentence - 'bring the game into disrepute.' I am trying to be honest," said the Chelsea boss.
"I am risking my place in the dugout for the [League Cup] final by having this discussion. I cannot go too far.
"But the reality is that week after week we are having these decisions [against us]. Football is football, but I think it is too much. I think my players don't deserve that. Yesterday [Saturday] I was calm in the press conference but my players are not getting the respect they deserve."
Mourinho went on to suggest Chelsea's advantage at the top of the Premier League should be greater, highlighting a host of matches in which he felt his team have been wrongly penalised and claiming only one significant decision - which saw Liverpool denied a penalty in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in November - had gone against the leaders.
"If we are in a normal situation, in this moment it [Chelsea's lead] would not be five, it would be 12," he added.
"It's not in my eyes - it's in the eyes of everyone.
"The Diego Costa penalty story started on day one of the season. He should have had a penalty against Burnley in the first game of the season and he got booked for a dive. We have this history since day one. I remember one decision all season that went our way and that was a doubtful one."
Addressing the controversy that surrounded Chelsea's draw with Burnley, Mourinho added: "The challenge from Ashley Barnes on Nemanja Matic can be the end of a career. I cannot find an adjective to describe it. It is end of career.
"Nemanja Matic is a very lucky guy. Another club would have the power to appeal Matic's red card.
"When I finished the game against Liverpool [the second leg of Chelsea's League Cup semi-final] I went to the dressing room and I was reading non-stop about Diego Costa's crimes. I would like to know how do you, Sky Sports, describe the actions of a Burnley player yesterday? I don't find a word to describe.
"Football is about emotions and clearly Nemanja Matic had a reason to lose his emotions. What are the consequences of his push, nothing. The consequence for Matic from the tackle? It could be the end of his career. A criminal tackle.
"I said clearly that at half-time Burnley should be playing with 10 men and Chelsea should have had two penalties, normally we would win 3-0. The reality is in the end we have 10 men and we lost two points."
Following West Brom's goalless draw at Sunderland, Tony Pulis insists that his side must keep their foot on the pedal to avoid relegation.
Tony Pulis warned West Brom must not take their "foot off the pedal" in their bid to avoid being dragged back into the Premier League relegation dogfight.
West Brom earned a hard-fought point with a goalless stalemate against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, with his team defending stoically under pressure from the hosts.
And Pulis, who has never been relegated as a manager, stressed the importance of maintaining their momentum – West Brom have lost just once since his arrival at The Hawthorns – as the season enters its final third.
"I've been involved in relegation fights a few times and you can never take your foot off the pedal," said the Welshman.
"It's going to be nip and tuck until the end of the season.
"We've got 12 games to go and we have to glean as many points as we can - we're in the scrap with eight or nine other teams, and everybody is fighting for their lives."
Sunderland dominated proceedings throughout, with the visitors having to settle for sporadic counter-attacks.
However, the hosts were ultimately unable to beat Ben Foster, though Adam Johnson did have a goal erroneously disallowed late in the first half.
"We've played really well recently and we started well today but fell away, but the great thing is even though we didn't play well, we got something from the game," added Pulis, delighted with his team's resilience.
"We went off the boil and it was all Sunderland, but we defended resolutely, and that's important for a team in our position.
"If we don't play well in possession, then we have to put every effort into stopping the other team scoring, and we did."
Aston Villa have a lot of work to do according to Tim Sherwood after an 11th game without a win in the Premier League on Saturday.
Tim Sherwood was left bitterly disappointed after Aston Villa threw away a winning position against Stoke City to slip further into trouble at the foot of the Premier League.
Scott Sinclair grabbed the opening goal of Sherwood's tenure after 20 minutes, but they were unable to hold on as Mame Biram Diouf and Victor Moses – the latter with a stoppage-time penalty – secured a 2-1 win for the visitors.
An 11th Premier League game without a win sees Villa drop to 19th on goal difference after Burnley's 1-1 draw with leaders Chelsea, leaving Sherwood keen to get back on the training pitch as quickly as possible.
"I am bitterly disappointed for everyone involved with this football club," said the new Villa boss.
"It [the performance] wasn't great, it's a work in progress and there is a lot of work to be done.
"I was encouraged with some performances, I just think we need to work on it, continue to get on the ball and affect the football match.
"I didn't think we started fantastically well, we got the goal but weren't able to make it two. We switched off just before half-time from a throw and conceded, and it knocks the stuffing out of you.
"In the second half, I thought the longer the game went on it would just peter out into a draw. It looked like neither team were going to win it.
"So to go so late into the game and concede the penalty is obviously very, very disappointing."
Sherwood is, though, convinced that Villa can still beat the drop.
"I'm sure we've got the quality in the squad, it's just about putting the right jigsaw together to win games," he added.
"We've got to put this behind us now, we can't dwell on it. We need to move on.
"Games come thick and fast, so we can't dwell on it. The games are running out."
The Hull City manager has spoken out against the QPR captain after he was dismissed for allegedly striking Tom Huddlestone after just 30 minutes of Saturday's clash
Hull City boss Steve Bruce has labelled the actions of Joey Barton as "ridiculous" after the QPR captain was dismissed at the KC Stadium on Saturday.
Barton was sent off after clashing with Tom Huddlestone midway through the first half, following a challenge by young QPR debutant Darnell Furlong on David Meyler.
The former Newcastle United man then appeared to punch Huddlestone in the groin, leaving referee Anthony Taylor with no choice but to show the red card and although he admitted that he did not see the incident, Bruce was quick to condemn Barton's actions, while dismissing any suggestion that Furlong should have also seen red for the initial challenge.
Bruce said after the game: "I can honestly say that I didn't see the actual incident. I was applauding the initial tackle from both players.
"In my day both players would have picked each other up and said 'what a fantastic challenge that was'.
"I don't think it was a red card. If anything I think it was one of those fair challenges where both players were committed.
"So, I didn’t see the incident but everyone has told me what he [Barton] did and it's just ridiculous and one of those silly little moments."
A last-minute goal from Dame N'Doye ensured Hull capitalised on their numerical advantage, leaving Bruce delighted at the way his side persevered on what was threatening to be frustrating outing.
He added: "I think it's the first time we've put back-to-back wins together since last September [2013] and it's happened to us five or six times [conceding late in games] so it's about time it happened for us.
"There's nothing better when it happens. The relief more than anything, when Green makes the save 30 seconds before I'm thinking to myself 'Well it's one of them days'.
"Thankfully it was a wonderful cross from Robbie [Brady] and N'Doye was where every good centre-forward needs to be, six yards out, stuck it in the net for us."
Alan Shearer claimed Newcastle "didn't fancy it" after their 5-0 mauling at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday.
Sunday 22nd February 2015
The Toon Army conceded a penalty inside the first 30 seconds at The Etihad and were 3-0 down after 21 minutes as they succumbed to their biggest defeat since losing 6-0 to Liverpool in April 2013.
"They didn't fancy it", said Shearer on Match of the Day. "They were pathetic. It was embarrassing, from the first minute to the last."
Shearer, who scored 206 goals for Newcastle between 1996 and 2006 and who briefly managed the club in April 2009 when they were relegated to the Championship, added: "I can just imagine the Newcastle team talk before the game - 'Right lads, this team have got Barcelona on Tuesday, let's just keep it tight for the first 10 or 15 minutes. Let's get in among them, put one or two tackles in and see if they fancy it.'
"But after 20 or 30 seconds, that is out of the window. Newcastle just didn't get near them.
"It was just far, far too easy for City. These are top players. You cannot give them time on the ball like that.
"City showed so much hunger to get the ball back, even when they're 3-0 up. I never saw that once from Newcastle. It was pathetic."
West Ham supporters filmed singing anti-semitic song on the train on the way to Tottenham game
The clip concludes a shameful week for supporters of Premier League clubs
James Orr
Sunday 22 February 2015
On the same day that their good-natured parody video of Chelsea was released by West Ham supporters, a more sinister one has emerged on Twitter tonight featuring a group of Hammers' fans.
Travelling through Stamford Hill, a well-known Jewish part of London, the video claims to feature Hammers supporters singing anti-semitic songs on the train on the way to White Hart Lane to watch today's London derby against Spurs, which ended 2-2.
The video was posted on Twitter this evening.
The clip concludes a shameful week for supporters of Premier League clubs, after a group of Chelsea fans were filmed singing racist chants and not allowing a black man onto a train in Paris on Tuesday.
Metropolitan Police say they have spoken to the men in connection with the incident and will continue to liaise with French authorities.
During the incident, ahead of the club's 1-1 draw with Paris St-Germain, some British fans repeatedly pushed away a black French man who was trying to board the train, shouting: “We’re racist and that’s the way we like it.”
Louis van Gaal's combative style may be proving detrimental to Manchester United, according to Southampton boss Ronald Koeman.
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has accused Dutch counterpart Louis van Gaal of striking fear into his Manchester United players.
United have been far from convincing in Van Gaal's first season in charge and the Manchester club's grip on a top-four finish in the Premier League loosened on Saturday after they crashed to a 2-1 defeat at Swansea City.
The 13-time Premier League champions have lacked creativity and penetration for much of the season and Koeman has offered an insight into what may be hindering United's UEFA Champions League hopes.
Koeman, who worked as Van Gaal's assistant at Barcelona between 1998-2000 before the pair fell out at Ajax, believes the 63-year-old's demanding approach puts too much pressure on players.
"When you bring Van Gaal in the house, you bring in quality," Koeman is quoted as saying by the Mirror. "But you also bring in someone who thinks he knows everything. And that will cause clashes.
"There is a big difference between him and me as managers. I was his assistant at Barcelona after the World Cup in 1998. I learned a lot of things from him.
"But the way he handles his players is totally different from the way I work. I don't put as much pressure on the shoulder of players.
"When you have Van Gaal in charge, it is a fact that there is fear in his team. The players have a fear for mister Van Gaal. That is not always good."
Following his recovery from testicular cancer, Jonas Gutierrez has expressed his gratitude to Newcastle United fans and players.
Jonas Gutierrez has expressed his gratitude to Newcastle United fans and players for their support during his recovery from cancer.
The Argentine winger has completed his treatment for testicular cancer and returned to training with the St James' Park outfit's Under-21 side at the back end of last year.
Gutierrez spoke on Monday of the support he received from everybody involved with the club.
"I'm healthy," he told Sky Sports News. "My treatment has finished and I'm training with the team.
"I'm so proud to be back, they have always supported me since my illness and Newcastle have always given me support.
"They stayed with me through a hard moment of my life; my team-mates send me messages and call me to ask how the treatment is going. I was so pleased to get those calls and those messages.
"The treatment was hard. The chemotherapy is a hard treatment but I have a lot of power from the fans and from my team-mates, they always support me."
The Football Association have opted not to take action against Ashley Barnes following his challenge on Nemanja Matic.
The Football Association (FA) will not take action against Burnley's Ashley Barnes following his challenge on Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Matic was sent off for his reaction to Barnes' heavy tackle, after the Burnley man mistimed his challenge and caught the Serbia international on the knee.
After Matic reacted angrily, shoving Barnes to the ground, there had been suggestions that the FA would look at whether the initial challenge warranted retrospective action.
However, as the incident was seen by match officials, the FA confirmed there would be no further action taken against Barnes.
"FA clarification on the incident involving Burnley’s Ashley Barnes and Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic to follow," read the first of five tweets from the FA.
"In the vast majority of challenges for the ball, no retrospective action is taken as the incident has been seen by the match officials.
"Retrospective action introduced as deterrent for ‘off the ball incidents’ [e.g. kicks, stamps etc.] committed out of sight of officials.
"[The] whole game in agreement that, in vast majority of cases, match officials are best-placed to deal with incidents to avoid re-refereeing.
"In line with this rationale, FA confirm no further action in relation to Ashley Barnes as incident was seen by the officials."
The incident was one of many in the game that irked Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who made no secret of his frustration at some of the officials' decisions.
Mourinho discussed a number of incidents that occurred during the game where he felt his side were poorly treated, describing Barnes' tackle as "criminal".
Van Gaal struggling at Manchester United - De Boer
By Harry Sherlock
Feb 24, 2015 17:16:00
The Dutchman was criticised for his long-ball tactics earlier this season but the Ajax academy coach says that the Red Devils are merely taking their time to adjust to his tactics
Former Netherlands international Ronald de Boer has conceded that Louis van Gaal is struggling at Manchester United.
United currently lie in fourth place in the Premier League, with 47 points from 26 games, but fell to a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Swansea City at the weekend.
Van Gaal was also criticised for his perceived long-ball tactics by West Ham manager Sam Allardyce earlier this season, leading the Dutchman to produce a dossier designed to prove the Hammers boss wrong.
However, De Boer – who currently works with Ajax’s academy teams – believes that the reason for United's poor brand of football is not down to Van Gaal but the players, and the time they are taking to adjust to their coach's tactics.
“Van Gaal is struggling a little bit at Manchester United,” he told talkSPORT. “Not with the amount of points he's got, but with his style.
“It's not the way he wants to play. He's fighting to get there. At the moment, it's not the football that we are used to with Louis.”
Schmeichel urges Manchester United to finalise De Gea contract
By Harry West
Feb 24, 2015 18:26:00
The Spaniard has been heavily linked with a potential summer move to Real Madrid but the Old Trafford icon is desperate for him to remain with the Red Devils
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has urged the club to end any lingering uncertainty over David De Gea's future by handing him a new five-year contract.
De Gea has emerged as one of the finest goalkeepers in world football under Louis van Gaal and, with his contract due to expire at the end of next season, he has subsequently attracted interest from Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants see the 24-year-old as the long-term successor to Iker Casillas, but United ended months of inactivity regarding De Gea's future in early February, as they signalled an intent to thrash out the details of a new deal.
De Gea's agent, Jorge Mendes, then confirmed that he was negotiating a contract extension for his client, and Schmeichel has now implored the club to wrap up those talks as quickly as possible.
"It’s very important the club's best players sign new contracts to send a signal," he told Sky Sports.
"It shows that they believe in the Manchester United project and believe the club will go back not only to the top of the Premier League but also European football.
"If De Gea signs a new deal it would be a very big signal and I'm sure everyone who loves the club would love that.
"Fingers crossed he will sign another five-year contract."
The Blues appealed the Serbia international's sending off against Burnley at the weekend but the ban has not been fully rescinded with the midfielder set to miss two games
Chelsea say they are "appalled" by the Football Association's decision not to reduce Nemanja Matic's three-game ban to the maximum extent permitted, after the midfielder was sent off against Burnley on Saturday.
The Serbia international shoved Ashley Barnes to the ground during the 1-1 draw, but was on the receiving end of a horrific tackle from the Burnley striker beforehand - a challenge labelled "criminal" by Blues boss Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea subsequently appealed the decision in a bid to have the red card rescinded, but the FA have only decided to reduce the ban to two games - thus ruling him out of the League Cup final against Tottenham and the Premier League clash with West Ham.
“In reaching this decision the members of the Regulatory Commission rejected the mitigation advanced by Nemanja Matic in respect of the provocation and tackle he received which led to his act of violent conduct," said Roger Burden, chairman of the FA's regulatory commission, in a statement.
"The violent response of Mr. Matic to the nature of the tackle cannot be condoned and does not vindicate his subsequent actions. The members of the Commission did, however, accept the mitigation in respect of the level of force used by Mr. Matic and the nature of the contact he made with Mr. Barnes of Burnley FC.
"Having made those considerations we determined that the standard punishment of a three-match suspension would be clearly excessive and, therefore, ordered that the suspension be reduced to two matches.”
However, Chelsea have expressed their frustration at the decision, and claim that Matic has been "unjustly punished" for his reaction to a "career-threatening tackle", and also maintain that the affair is evidence that referees need to do more to protect players from such challenges.
"The Chelsea Football Club board is extremely disappointed and frustrated that the FA Regulatory Commission has today decided not to reduce Nemanja Matic’s suspension to the maximum extent permitted under FA rules," read a statement.
"Chelsea FC challenged the standard three-match suspension which automatically followed the red card issued to Matic by referee Martin Atkinson during Saturday’s Premier League match against Burnley.
"There has been universal condemnation of the reckless challenge made by Ashley Barnes on Matic and it is the club’s view that he has been unjustly punished with a two-match ban for his reaction to a career-threatening tackle.
"It is Chelsea’s opinion that referees and the football authorities must do more to protect players at all levels of the game from dangerous challenges. This decision also clearly demonstrates a need for consistency and fairness in the disciplinary process."
Manchester United must not sack Van Gaal even if they don't get fourth, insists Gary Neville
By Liam Twomey
Feb 25, 2015 07:42:00
The Red Devils face a tough fight to qualify for the Champions League but even if they miss out, the former defender believes getting rid of the Dutchman would achieve nothing
Louis van Gaal should not be sacked even if Manchester United miss out on a top-four finish this season, according to Gary Neville.
United lie fourth in the Premier League with 47 points from 26 matches but Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Swansea City has left Southampton, Liverpool and Tottenham all within one victory of leapfrogging them in the table.
Performances have garnered as much criticism as results at Old Trafford this season despite a €180 million summer transfer splurge that brought Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw to the club.
United's failure to qualify for the Champions League under David Moyes last season directly resulted in a 12.2 per cent drop in the club's revenue for the six months to the end of December, and it is likely that a repeat would have similarly significant financial ramifications.
But while he admits that missing out on Europe's elite club competition for a second consecutive year would constitute a "terrible season" for United, Neville is adamant that sacking Van Gaal as a result would achieve nothing.
"Louis van Gaal should not be sacked [if Manchester United fail to make the top four]," he told talkSPORT.
"It would be a terrible season for Man United and Louis van Gaal. He would probably say it was a big failure because he knows his job this season.
"He has to get in the Champions League but, on the other hand, if he didn't, no, you can't just sack a manager one year and then sack another manager the year after. Where do you go from there?
"There has to be a level of continuity. I absolutely believe this time there will be continuity at Man United and they will stand by him even if he doesn't finish in the top four and that's the right thing to do."
Neville is still backing United to hold off their rivals in what promises to be the most hotly contested top-four race for years, though he concedes Van Gaal's men will have to raise their game to make sure the unthinkable is avoided.
"I still think Manchester United will finish in the top four," he added. "I think they will scrape in. At the start of the season I thought they'd finish third.
"There is a period in March where they have Arsenal in an FA Cup quarter-final, then they have Spurs the Sunday after and Liverpool after that. There is an international break and then they have got Aston Villa, Man City and Chelsea.
"That will be a big period but, actually, Van Gaal and Man United started the season really poorly and these big games came along and they seemed to grow.
"I'd like to think these games will inspire some of the bigger players at Man United. They need to step up their performances. There is no doubt about that."
