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West Brom v Liverpool: Rodgers seeks strong finish after cup disappointment
23 April 2015
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers wants his side to bounce back from their FA Cup semi-final defeat and enjoy a strong end to their Premier League campaign, starting at West Brom.
Rodgers' side were below par at Wembley on Sunday, losing 2-1 to Aston Villa despite taking the lead through Philippe Coutinho.
Seven points behind Manchester City with a game in hand, Liverpool still harbour slim hopes of finishing inside the top four, and Rodgers is refusing to dwell on the defeat to Villa.
"Our ambition is to be better and plan forward, that means bringing in players in the summer. Plans to do that are well under way," he said.
"We want to finish the season strong and take that momentum into the following season. We have to fight for the top four until the very end."
"If other clubs make mistakes then we have to ensure we're ready to take advantage.
"The expectancy is huge, but I can't fault the players for what they give. Last week was a disappointment but they have worked very well in training."
Rodgers - buoyed by Jordan Henderson signing a new long-term deal on Thursday - is still without Mamadou Sakho (hamstring), Lucas Leiva (thigh) and Daniel Sturridge (knock) for Saturday's trip to The Hawthorns, while Jon Flanagan and Adam Lallana are nearing returns after respective knee and groin problems.
Liverpool's hosts West Brom surprised many last time out by travelling to a resurgent Crystal Palace and coming away with a 2-0 victory.
After three successive defeats - with 10 goals conceded in the process - it was a welcome return to winning ways for Tony Pulis' side, and assistant head coach David Kemp is looking for a repeat showing this weekend.
"It was a big win for us after two disappointing performances in the two previous home games against QPR and Leicester," Kemp told the club's official website.
"So to go there and produce the display we did was very good. I don't know if it was a case of relief but we don't want to be losing games after what happened in the previous two.
"We'd been pretty consistent since we've been here and they were a shock to the system because they were disappointing results and performances.
"We had to get back on track and fair play to the lads, they did it. People start writing you off - you have a couple of defeats and people start putting the boot in.
"The lads showed great character as well to go and get the right result. We have to do that again."
Youssouf Mulumbu completes a three-match suspension on Saturday, while Andre Wisdom is ineligible to face his parent club and Craig Dawson is a doubt with a knee injury.
Southampton v Tottenham: Pochettino returns to St Mary´s
23 April 2015
Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino will return to familiar territory this weekend when his side travel to former club Southampton.
Pochettino spent 18 months at St Mary's Stadium, guiding the club to 14th and eighth-placed finishes in the Premier League, before moving to White Hart Lane at the end of last season.
The Argentinian was charged with returning Spurs to the top four, but an inconsistent campaign sees them lie sixth in the table, seven points adrift of a UEFA Champions League qualifying berth.
"This season realistically it is very difficult to reach the top four," Pochettino conceded.
"We need to try. We have five games ahead, but at the same time I don't want to lie. It is not easy to reach the top four, realistically."
Midfielder Nabil Bentaleb made his Premier League debut in last season's corresponding fixture, which Spurs won 3-2, and the Algeria international knows his side are in for a stern test on the south coast.
"This is a big match and we have to be up for the fight," he told the club's official website. "We know what to expect from them and they will know what to expect from us.
"We have to be focused, strong and I'm sure it will be a good game. Hopefully we'll come back with the points.
"They've had a really good season. They are tough to play against, but we relish these challenges. As a footballer, you want to play in these matches and play with that pressure."
Tottenham defeated Newcastle United 3-1 last time out, which allowed them to climb one point above Southampton, who went down 2-1 at Stoke City.
Should Arsenal defeat Aston Villa in the FA Cup final next month, seventh place would seal a UEFA Europa League spot, but Southampton manager Ronald Koeman does not want to rely on others to secure European action next season.
"We know every game is important and okay, if Arsenal win the FA Cup, the seventh place is also the last European qualifying place to play the qualification round," he said.
"And the distance between the eighth [Swansea City] behind us is nine points. That seems to be enough, but we try to finish in the highest position in the table."
Southampton fans are planning a 'Ronald Koeman Day' on Saturday, with many preparing to wear the Dutch national colours of orange to support their manager.
"I heard something about that and I think it's nice because it's a nice appreciation of the fans about my job," he added.
"I know the connection between the manager and the fans is on a very good level and I'd like to keep that. And to keep that we have to win games."
Koeman confirmed on Thursday that Filip Djuricic (ankle) is still out, while Victor Wanyama is suspended, but Toby Alderweireld should be fit following a shoulder injury sustained at Stoke.
For Spurs, Hugo Lloris (knee) and Danny Rose (hamstring) are doubts, while Kyle Walker (foot) will be out for around four weeks.
Manchester City v Aston Villa: Sherwood hoping to harness cup momentum
23 April 2015
Tim Sherwood hopes Aston Villa can harness the feel-good factor of their FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool when they travel to Manchester City on Saturday.
Villa reached their first FA Cup showpiece for 15 years with a 2-1 victory at Wembley on Sunday, as their resurgence under Sherwood continues.
Since his arrival in February, Villa have greatly boosted their chances of avoiding the drop, climbing four points clear of the relegation zone ahead of this weekend's trip to the Etihad Stadium.
"I'm hoping the semi-final will give us a boost, especially on the back of the Tottenham result as well," Sherwood said.
"We'll need the fans to create the same backing and atmosphere as they did at Wembley.
"There's probably never a good time to play Man City but we have to play them. They've shown they are beatable, even at the Etihad. We'll go there and try to win.
"Man City, like Liverpool and Tottenham, have players who can win games on their own. We must nullify their threat. If we do so, we can impose our own style in the game. We believe we can go there and get something.
"We have to realise the FA Cup is now on the backburner. We realise we have a lot of hard work to do to stay in the Premier League."
Unlike Villa, reigning champions City are meandering towards concluding the season without any silverware, their sights instead set on securing an automatic UEFA Champions League qualification spot.
Manuel Pellegrini's side lie fourth, a point behind Manchester United and one further adrift of Arsenal, and defender Bacary Sagna is targeting a strong end to what has been a difficult campaign.
He told the Manchester Evening News: "In some of the games we were maybe unlucky and we had them in position, but we couldn't score and it's not easy to play in front of a wall.
"Everyone looks forward in the same direction, we want to be successful as a team, and the coach and the staff and everyone is part of the team. We are doing our best to get back to a winning team and to finish the season well."
David Silva suffered a facial injury in the 2-0 win over West Ham last time out and remains doubtful, as do Samir Nasri (leg), James Milner (knee), Stevan Jovetic (muscular) Gael Clichy (groin) and Wilfried Bony (ankle).
Vincent Kompany's thigh injury looks set to rule him out for the rest of the season, while Sherwood will be without defensive duo Ciaran Clark and Nathan Baker (both knee).
Gabriel Agbonlahor is still a concern after missing the cup semi-final, but Aly Cissokho and Philippe Senderos are back in contention following injury.
Crystal Palace v Hull City: Bruce confident of claiming much-needed win
23 April 2015
Hull City manager Steve Bruce is targeting "at least two" wins from their remaining six Premier League games, and hopes to clinch the first of those at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Bruce's side head to Selhurst Park on the back of a torrid run of form, with just two points from their last six outings.
That sequence has seen them fall to 17th, above a resurgent Leicester City by a solitary goal.
As well as clashes with Palace and fellow strugglers Burnley, Hull's run-in includes fixtures against four sides currently in the top six - Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham.
"One or two clubs have moved themselves away from it in the last two or three weeks," Bruce, who had a brief stint at Palace in 2001, told talkSPORT.
"A month ago, there were probably eight teams in trouble but if we're being honest it now looks as though there are five of us. Obviously we now aim to finish above at least three of those.
"Of our six remaining games, four are at home. There's no question that it's going to be difficult. However, the way I see it is that we need to win at least two games.
"We're going to Crystal Palace first up on Saturday and of course they've had a great run of late, but we know we're capable.
"It doesn't really matter if you're playing a side at the top, a side in mid-table or a side down at the bottom, they're all difficult games.
"We just hope that we can perform and get the performance levels up to the degree where we give ourselves a fair chance.
"We're realistic enough to know that we've got a difficult challenge, but we also know that we've got as good a chance as anyone of coming out of it right."
Since Alan Pardew's arrival, Palace have turned themselves from relegation battlers to candidates for a top-half finish, although a run of four straight victories ended with a surprise 2-0 home reverse to West Brom last time out.
"I think it [a top-10 finish] is something at the end of the season to look at, not now," Pardew said. "My focus is on the game.
"I do want a top-10 finish because we got ourselves in that position and that certainly wasn't the case when I walked in. It's something we've done well.
"I'm proud of the players and their achievement. And the fans, we owe them a little bit, because we let them down [last week]."
Pardew is still without Marouane Chamakh and former Hull man Fraizer Campbell (both hamstring), with Jordon Mutch (thigh) and Jerome Thomas (knock) remaining doubts.
For the visitors, David Meyler serves the last instalment of a three-match ban, while Curtis Davies (thigh) and Gaston Ramirez (hamstring) are still fitness concerns for Bruce.
Arsenal v Chelsea: Mourinho not focusing on record over Wenger
24 April 2015
Leaders Chelsea visit Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, with manager Jose Mourinho not focusing on extending his unbeaten record against counterpart Arsene Wenger.
Mourinho has enjoyed dominance in this fixture thanks to an undefeated streak stretching back 12 matches across various competitions.
This weekend's meeting at the Emirates Stadium affords Chelsea the chance to move one step closer to a fourth Premier League title - victory against Arsenal followed by three more points at Leicester City on Wednesday will see them secure the trophy with four games to spare.
The relationship between the two managers has been fractious in the past, with Wenger shoving Mourinho during the reverse fixture in October, but the Chelsea boss has played down any suggestions of ill feeling.
"For me he is not my rival, I don't feel that. I just feel he's the manager of a big club in the same city where I work and live," the Portuguese said.
"We're big clubs with the same objectives and because of that there will always come a little bit of rivalry but for me it's no different to when I was at Inter with the Milan managers or in Real [Madrid] with the Atletico managers.
"I'm not proud [of his record over Wenger], for me an achievement is to win [on Sunday], not the other 12 matches that we played before against Arsenal, I don't look to this.
"Every match is a match, no relation to the previous or the next one, what they [the players] care about is the way we work all week and the way we prepare ourselves for the game."
Mourinho confirmed that Didier Drogba is fit to play after an ankle problem, although Diego Costa (hamstring) and Loic Remy (calf) remain doubts, with academy player Dominic Solanke potentially in line for a Premier League debut.
Cesc Fabregas is set to make his first return to the Emirates Stadium since departing for Barcelona in 2011, but Mourinho is not concerned about the midfielder receiving a hostile reception, while Wenger has called on Arsenal fans to respect the Spain international.
If Wenger is to break his duck against Mourinho, Sunday might represent his best opportunity for some time, with Arsenal coming into the clash on the back of eight consecutive league victories.
Second-placed Arsenal are 10 points behind Chelsea, but Wenger remains confident his side can close that gap.
"When you are fighting for the championship - and I know that well - when you are on a good run, sometimes you take points that in another season if you were two or three places behind, you would not take," he said.
"The focus and belief is there and is a bit stronger that we can take these points. The difference between the teams is not only measured by the difference in points.
"But nobody has given Chelsea the points. They had to fight for it and they made it."
Wenger described defender Per Mertesacker as "50-50" for this game with an ankle problem, with Gabriel Paulista set to deputise, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring) and Mikel Arteta's lack of match fitness means they remain absent.
Everton v Manchester United: Evans return boosts Van Gaal´s men
24 April 2015
Jonny Evans' return from a six-match suspension will be a welcome boost to a Manchester United side short of defensive options for Sunday's Premier League visit to Everton.
Northern Ireland international Evans was hit with a hefty ban for spitting at Papiss Cisse during the 1-0 victory over Newcastle United in March.
Evans has protested his innocence during his absence and the centre-back makes a timely return ahead of the trip to Goodison Park.
Full-back Rafael da Silva suffered a broken rib in an Under-21 match against Leicester City on Monday, joining Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones on the sidelines, while midfielder Michael Carrick (calf) is still absent.
The match against Everton offers United, who are third, the perfect chance to bounce back after last week's 1-0 defeat to leaders Chelsea ended a six-match winning league run.
Manager Louis van Gaal says that finishing third and guaranteeing UEFA Champions League football will appease the club's hierarchy, but that his ultimate aim is to bring the Premier League title back to Old Trafford.
"It's better [to be third]. We set this goal because it was very difficult to reach the top four," he said
"I am the manager and I have to achieve that and they [the board] have set this goal for me to achieve, but I'm always in a club to win the championship and not the fourth position or the third position.
"I think when we achieve our goal, my board and the owners are very happy."
Everton, who will come up against their in-form former midfielder Marouane Fellaini, have hit a purple patch by winning four of their past five league matches and keeping clean sheets in their last three at home.
Roberto Martinez's side achieved the double over United last season, including a 2-0 victory in the corresponding fixture that ended former Everton manager David Moyes' ill-fated tenure at Old Trafford.
This season's reverse encounter ended in a 2-1 defeat in October, when Everton were unlucky to find United goalkeeper David de Gea on top form.
"We're facing a side in the best moment of their season," Martinez said. "We felt we deserved better [in the first game], David de Gea had two world-class saves.
"It's two teams in a good moment of form. We're looking forward to facing this side and we feel we've got something to get back from the game at Old Trafford."
Martinez is hoping to have James McCarthy and Leon Osman available, but Steven Pienaar (muscle fatigue) is likely to miss out.
The Dutchman rates the 41-year-old highly and believes he will get another shot at the top job after succeeding David Moyes on an interim basis last season
Louis van Gaal has revealed he expects assistant manager Ryan Giggs to succeed him as Manchester United manager.
Giggs holds the record for most United appearances of all time, having played 963 games during a 23-year career at Old Trafford and won 22 major trophies at the club under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 41-year-old joined David Moyes' backroom team in the summer of 2013 and was named interim manager when the Scot was sacked last April, winning two of his four games in charge.
Van Gaal, who appointed Giggs as his assistant last summer, rates the Welshman highly and believes he will get another chance at the top job when the time comes for him to leave Old Trafford.
"I expect that he will be the next manager after I am gone," Van Gaal told MUTV when asked about Giggs.
"Now I have the responsibility. He has tasks that he has to perform like the players. What he has to do, for me, he does it very well."
Van Gaal's current contract as United boss expires in the summer of 2017 and he has already intimated that this will be his last job.
Manchester City are Chelsea's equals, argues Pellegrini
By Nicholas McGee
Apr 24, 2015 18:02:00
The Chilean says that there are "five or six teams with the same power and money" at the top of the Premier League despite the Blues holding a commanding lead
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini is not surprised that his side are in a battle to hold on to a place in the Premier League top four, arguing that there are "five or six teams" in the division's elite.
With Chelsea on the verge of usurping their top-flight crown, City sit in fourth place after their challenge to retain the title fell away, now seven points clear of Liverpool having played one more game.
But Pellegrini does not expect things to get any easier any time soon for his side, telling reporters: "We have five or six teams with the same power and money. Every year it will be a fight to win the title."
Aston Villa are City's next opponents and Pellegrini confirmed that midfielder David Silva is fit for the match after avoiding a fractured cheekbone.
The Spaniard was taken off on a stretcher during Sunday's 2-0 win against West Ham after being caught in the face by an elbow from Cheikhou Kouyate but returned to training on Tuesday.
"David worked the whole week with no problems," the manager explained. "We have injuries to [Gael] Clichy, [Stevan] Jovetic and [Samir] Nasri but [James] Milner also worked without any problems."
Pellegrini has also been boosted by the return of Wilfried Bony following knee and ankle problems but there is no sign of captain Vincent Kompany recovering from a thigh injury in the near future.
Pellegrini added: "It's important to see how Vincent will improve in the next week. I think he'll be missing for at least two weeks more - I think, then, after two games, if he continues to work well, he can be fit.
"Nasri has a muscle injury from the last game. In the last minute, he started playing and he sustained a muscle injury. We hope it's a small problem."
The Chilean refuted suggestions that Villa's progression to the FA Cup final will have an impact on the game, saying: "I don't think that Aston Villa will not be concentrated. One thing is the final of the FA Cup, the other thing is battling against relegation. For this reason, it will be a very tough game.
"[I expect them to play] similar to the way they played against Liverpool. They are a team that tries to play as an offensive team. We are used to playing eight or nine players defending."
The Belgian was the ex-Manchester United manager's first signing at Old Trafford and he has expressed his delight at the midfielder's form turnaround
David Moyes insists that he is unsurprised by Marouane Fellaini’s recent resurgence at Manchester United, and says he keeps in contact with his former midfielder.
Fellaini was Moyes’ first major signing at Old Trafford, with the Real Sociedad boss spending just over €32 million to acquire his signature from Everton.
The Belgian quickly became a pariah, however, after a series of below-par displays following his move from Goodison Park.
But Fellaini has enjoyed a remarkable upturn in form under Louis van Gaal, scoring six goals in all competitions to become a key player in the Dutchman’s squad, and Moyes admits he is delighted with the 27-year-old’s performances.
“I am not surprised at Fellaini because I thought he had made a big impact on England over the years," Moyes told the Express.
"He will not be everyone's cup of tea, but he can affect games and you want players who can affect games.
"He texts me quite regularly and I always text him back and tell him how well he is doing. I'm really pleased for him."
Van Gaal on Depay: I cannot buy all the players I have coached already
Apr 24, 2015 17:00:00
The Manchester United boss refused to discuss transfer rumours surrounding the PSV star and revealed Rafael is out for the rest of the season
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has refused to be drawn on speculation that the Red Devils are close to agreeing a deal for PSV star Memphis Depay.
The Netherlands international has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford, having been handed his national debut by Van Gaal, and PSV recently confirmed that they had spoken to United about the winger.
Although the veteran Dutch coach is a fan of Depay, who leads the Eredivisie scoring charts with 20 goals this season, he has no desire to reveal his transfer plans in public.
"I don't discuss it with the media," Van Gaal told reporters. "You know my answer. I have a lot of relationships with players. I cannot buy all the players I have coached already."
Meanwhile, another player Van Gaal has worked with prior to joining United, Robin van Persie, stepped up his return from injury for the Under-21s, though will not be assured of a place in the first team when he reaches full fitness.
"Yes, he has to train very hard, play in the second team," the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss continued.
"He has to show his qualities again. Then I have to compare him with the positions he can play, with the players that play in that position - it is always the same."
On the injury front, Michael Carrick, Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones will all miss Sunday's trip to Everton, while Rafael is out for the season with a broken rib.
Daley Blind is back in contention, however, and Van Gaal stated a knock picked up by Adnan Januzaj while playing for the Under-21s was "not so heavy".
Chelsea will offer the titles Fabregas craved at Arsenal, boasts Mourinho
By Oliver Platt
Apr 24, 2015 16:34:00
The Spain midfielder will return to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday for the first time since his departure in 2011 but the Blues boss expects him to handle the occasion well
Cesc Fabregas decided to sign for Chelsea because "good projects end with titles", Jose Mourinho has claimed.
The Spain midfielder will return to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday for the first time since he left Arsenal for Barcelona in 2011.
The Gunners had the option to re-sign Fabregas last summer but a deal never materialised and he joined their Premier League rivals instead.
"I know why he chose Chelsea," Mourinho told reporters. "I don't know why he didn't choose Arsenal. I can only speak about what we promised him.
"I can't talk about the decision for him leaving Arsenal or what stopped him going back.
"I don't know if it was the manager's or his decision. I just promised him we'd build a team very adapted to his style of play, that he was going to be an important player in our project ... and that, normally, good projects end with titles. He was looking for that. That's all I can say."
Mourinho insists that he is not concerned that Fabregas's performance might be affected if he receives a negative reception from the home crowd when the top two face off.
"I don't know [what reception he will get]," the Portuguese added. "To be fair, I don't know - and, to be fair, I'm not worried with that.
"Frank Lampard played at Stamford Bridge [for Manchester City] without any kind of problem and with a good reception. I don't see a reason for Fabregas not to have the same at the Emirates but, if he has some bad reactions, I think he's one of the players who is more than ready.
"He played in Barcelona with an Arsenal shirt. Why can't he play at the Emirates with a Chelsea shirt? No problem."
The Blues manager has yet to taste defeat in his 12 games against the Frenchman thus far, but he insists he sees no need to compete with the Gunners manager ahead of their clash
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has insisted he does not see Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger as a rival.
The two managers have a history of sharing jibes, but the Portuguese insists that he sees no need to compete with the Gunners boss as he prepares his side to face their London rivals this weekend.
"For me, he's not my rival," he told reporters. "I don't feel that. He's a manager of a big club in a city where I work and live with the same objectives.
"Because of that, there is always a bit of rivalry, but I don't see Wenger as any different to the Atletico manager when I was with Real [Madrid]."
Mourinho has gone 12 games unbeaten against Wenger, but he insists that he is "not proud" of his record against the Frenchman.
"For me an achievement is to win tomorrow," he added.
"It's not the other 12 matches that we played before against Arsenal. I don't look to this. I don't look to numbers. I don't look to what I did against this manager or that club."
Chelsea can take a massive step towards the Premier League title with a win this weekend, and can move 13 points clear of the Gunners with a victory.
The Spaniard enters the final year of his Old Trafford contract this summer, with Real Madrid maintaining a keen interest as they seek a long-term successor to Iker Casillas
Louis van Gaal admits David De Gea will make the final decision on whether he remains at Manchester United.
De Gea has improved year-on-year since moving to Old Trafford for £18.9 million in the summer of 2012, and a string of impressive performances this season have seen him earn a place on the shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
But the 24-year-old enters the final year of his contract this summer and with Real Madrid keen admirers, Van Gaal admits there is little he can do to keep De Gea if he wants to return to Spain.
“It takes a long time now,” Van Gaal said when asked about the status of De Gea's contract talks. “It can always happen, but I am not the boss.
“The player is the boss and he can say yes or no. I want him to stay, but you will have to ask David de Gea, not me. He has to sign, but we have offered him a lot of money.”
Van Gaal also believes United's attempts to strengthen their squad with big names this summer will be at the mercy of player power.
“At the end, the player has to decide,” the Dutchman added. “Not the manager and not the manager of the selling club. It’s also dependable on the market. The club is dependable of the market and the selling clubs and the buying clubs.
“It’s not so easy to finalise all the decisions you are making because the players are the boss, not the manager. Every time you read that I buy this player or that player, or have communicated with that player, it is not like that.”
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea: Mourinho's men edge closer to title with Emirates stalemate The Blues are now six points away from Premier League glory after a match full of controversial refereeing calls, with the Portuguese's record against Arsene Wenger intact
Everton 3-0 Manchester United: Toffees exploit the counter to embarrass Van Gaal The Red Devils' defence could not cope with the hosts' threat on the break as, despite enjoying most of the possession, they were taken apart by Roberto Martinez's men
Crystal Palace 0-2 Hull City: N'Doye eases pressure on Tigers Steve Bruce's side lifted themselves into 16th in the Premier League table after a valuable victory at Selhurst Park, the Senegalese striker scoring just after half-time
West Brom 0-0 Liverpool: Balotelli starts but Reds fail to fire Baggies goalkeeper Boaz Myhill had to be alert to keep the Reds at bay but the hosts had their own effort cleared off the line in the second half as Brendan Rodgers's side stalled
QPR 0-0 West Ham: Austin penalty miss proves costly for relegation-threatened Rs The hosts missed a huge chance to gain vital ground as they struggle to stay afloat in the Premier League, with Richard Dunne having a second-half strike ruled out for offside
Stoke City 1-1 Sunderland: Adam denies Black Cats precious win Sunderland fell into the Premier League bottom three after being held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium
Newcastle United 2-3 Swansea City: Cork sends Carver’s flops further into the mire John Carver saw his Newcastle United side's worrying slump continue as they were beaten 3-2 by Swansea City at St James' Park
Burnley 0-1 Leicester City: Vardy hands Foxes crucial lifeline Burnley survival hopes swung in 60 seconds as Matt Taylor's penalty miss and Jamie Vardy's goal gave Leicester City a crucial 1-0 victory
Southampton 2-2 Tottenham: Chadli earns Pochetino a point on St Mary's return The Saints twice took the lead through striker Graziano Pelle but couldn't hold on as first Erik Lamela and then the Belgian star struck back on the south coast
Ronald Koeman was proud of the overall performance of his Southampton side in a 2-2 Premier League draw against Tottenham, but bemoaned their profligacy in front of goal.
Tottenham, under the stewardship of former Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino, twice responded to goals by Graziano Pelle at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday by scoring with their only efforts on target.
Spurs remain above Koeman's team in the race for UEFA Europa League qualification, but things could have been different had several clear-cut chances not gone begging for the hosts, with midfielder Steven Davis guilty of missing the target on three occasions.
"I think it was a fantastic football game. I enjoyed very much," said Koeman.
"I'm very proud of the team because we showed our level, we showed our ambition. We were very disappointed about last week [when Southampton lost 2-1 at Stoke City], but the reaction of the team was amazing.
"[But] we need to shoot more on target. If you don't shoot on target, you don't score and that's the quality of Tottenham. They had one big chance of Chadli and they scored [to level at 2-2], and we had two or three big chances.
"Steven Davis, normally he is a good finisher, but today not, but that's football.
"Sometimes we are missing too much that kind of opportunity. It's not easy to score, but at least you have to shoot on target."
Erik Lamela appeared to divert the ball past Kelvin Davis with his left arm for Tottenham's first equaliser, but Koeman absolved referee Jon Moss of any blame.
"I saw it at half-time," the Southampton manager added. "If the referee gets that possibility to see it at half-time, he will give handball, but it was going so fast, it's so difficult for the referee to see exactly what happened.
"It's handball, but I think it was too fast, too difficult for the referee to see."
Swansea City's 3-2 victory at Newcastle United saw them reach a new club record number of points in a Premier League season, and manager Garry Monk was full of praise for his players.
Goals from Nelson Oliveira, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jack Cork sent Swansea to victory after they battled back from going behind to Ayoze Perez's 20th-minute opener at St James' Park.
Siem de Jong scored a second for Newcastle with three minutes to go, but Swansea held on to reach 50 points, surpassing their previous mark of 47 in their debut Premier League campaign in 2011-12.
"It's very satisfying," Monk said. "I'm extremely proud of the players and the staff, the fans - we should be extremely proud of this squad.
"I knew if we could get the players to commit we could achieve something special.
"Everyone plays their part, my job as manager is to make sure the football is right and make sure we compete.
"We've shown a lot of different sides to ourselves, but ultimately we've played some excellent football and I thought you saw that today, so I'm extremely proud of everyone."
Monk is, though, refusing to let up in the final few games of the campaign.
"I want more, I always push for more. I'm the type to demand more," he added. "My job now is to make sure we finish this season with more wins and more points.
"There's no point just beating the record, we want to try and surpass it and make it difficult for anyone to try and catch or for us to surpass it the next season.
"I'm proud of everyone, the work that we've done and when people doubt you it's a real pleasing thing to prove those doubters wrong."
Mark Hughes was left frustrated as an impressive Stoke City performance only produced one point in their 1-1 draw with Sunderland.
Despite falling behind in the opening minute to a Conor Wickham strike, Stoke rallied well and were level through Charlie Adam before the half hour.
Chances came and went for both sides in the remaining hour and Hughes was disappointed his men were not able to find the cutting edge to secure all three points.
"It was a terrible start, but a great response and the first half was arguably best we've played for quite some time in terms of our control and opportunities we were able to create," said the Stoke boss.
"I thought we had a number of situations that we should have capitalised on, more than we were able to.
"Thankfully we got back into the game from Charlie and at 1-1 we're thinking 'second half, more of the same and we'll take the game away from them'.
"But they pressed us a little bit higher and we weren't able to dictate play from the back, that affected us and the game became fragmented and open, but we still had number of opportunities. In fairness they had opportunities to pinch it.
"In the end we are disappointed with 1-1 because that was an opportunity that was missed."
Newcastle United head coach John Carver bemoaned his side's poor spell either side of the interval after a 3-2 Premier League defeat to Swansea City.
Out-of-form Newcastle took the lead through Ayoze Perez in the 20th minute, but were pegged back in first-half stoppage time by Nelson Oliveira's first goal for Swansea.
Garry Monk's side then took the lead through Gylfi Sigurdsson four minutes into the second period, with Jack Cork adding a third before Siem de Jong marked his first appearance since August with a late consolation.
The defeat was Newcastle's seventh in succession, leaving them 14th, five points above the relegation zone with four matches remaining.
"We started quite well," Carver said. "I played a different formation with two strikers and a diamond and I thought we played some good football and could have come in 2-0 up.
"We were in control of the game but the only worry was set plays which is our Achilles heel.
"The team talk changes because we're level and it's disappointing, but I was still quite positive. It was a mad five minutes either side of half-time.
"We've got four massive games. I saw enough in the first half and I can't be too critical of anyone in that dressing room.
"Yes I'm getting stick from the crowd, but I can take that on the chin and I won't give up on it and I'll fight right to the end.
"It's my job to try and pick them [the players] up. I can't by hyper critical of them because they don't deserve that. They're giving us everything, but sometimes that's not enough."
Dick Advocaat remains optimistic that Sunderland can stay in the Premier League despite dropping into the bottom three.
A 1-1 draw with Stoke City – combined with wins for Hull City and Leicester City – saw Sunderland slip into the danger zone for the first time this season on Saturday, but Advocaat will not be pushing the panic button.
The Dutchman was able to find plenty of positives from the point at the Britannia Stadium, and hopes they can take some momentum into their final five matches.
"I am pleased because I think [in] the first half we played very poor and we were lucky it stayed 1-1 at half-time, so I could change something in the line-up.
"From that moment on we started playing football a little bit, it was much better than the first half and we created three or four good opportunities, but those kind of chances at this level you have to score.
"This was a good point and we have to take it into the next game against Southampton - if we can give that commitment I am very positive about it [staying up].
"We have five games to go, everything is open. We will try to be positive to the team, and hopefully they can play like this next week."
Advocaat's squad was without winger Adam Johnson after he was charged on three counts of sexual activity with a girl under the age of 16 and an additional count of grooming on Thursday.
When asked about Johnson, the 67-year-old said: "He did not train for three days, so I thought it best for him to stay away."
Brendan Rodgers rejected suggestions Liverpool are suffering a crisis of confidence after they were held to a 0-0 draw at West Brom on Saturday.
Defeat in the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa at Wembley last weekend ended Liverpool's hopes of claiming silverware this season and Rodgers' men saw their faltering bid to claim a top-four finish in the Premier League suffer another setback as they failed to capitalise on their superiority at The Hawthorns.
After the game, Rodgers repeated a desire to bring in attacking reinforcements at the end of the campaign, but denied there had been a loss of belief within a squad who finished as runners-up to Manchester City in the title race last season.
"I think we just don't score as many goals [as last season]. It's as simple as that," he said.
"The players are giving the same effort, the same attitude, the skills they are transferring from last year are the same. We had two players last year, who played in our front three [Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge], who between them brought 50-plus goals and we don't have that.
"But as a team, the players are giving absolutely everything. There were some real good bits of play, it's just that final little piece.
"It's an area that we'll look at in the summer and definitely one that we'll have to do some work on, but I give credit to the players because they came out today after a difficult result and performance last week and they showed great confidence.
"We defended well when we had to and we attacked with all the invention and creativity that we possibly could, but we just couldn't get that little bit of luck that we needed."
Elaborating on Liverpool's failure to break down a West Brom side that showed resilience throughout, Rodgers added: "I thought the level of our game, in particular in the second half, was very good and our intent in the game was obviously to win and you could see that.
"We just needed a little break. West Brom obviously defended very, very well. They played with a really low block, so you've got to be patient and work your way through and I thought in particular [in the] second half we did that very well.
"[In the] first half the idea was good but we were probably just a little bit slow in our play. But [the] second half was much better and we needed that little bit of luck or quality, which didn't come our way.
"The players that were playing showed terrific quality. It was a good response [to the Villa defeat], but we just couldn't quite make the breakthrough."
