Villa ace targets top three Villa ace believes Chelsea and Liverpool should be worried

Gabriel Agbonlahor believes Aston Villa could finish in the top three with many of the league's elite dropping uncharacteristic points.

Martin O'Neill's side have been in blistering form this season and five league wins from their last six outings sees them fourth in the table.

Villa are already three points clear of Arsenal, but Agbonlahor sees no reason why the Birmingham outfit cannot pressure Liverpool and Chelsea for a higher spot.

Rafa Benitez's Reds dropped another two points at home to Everton on Monday, while Chelsea recently surrendered a late lead away to Fulham.

Villa are just three points behind top of the table Manchester United and Agbonlahor believes O'Neill's troops should aim as high as possible.

source :skysports.com

Reds thwarted by Cahill Liverpool stay second following 1-1 draw

Liverpool missed the chance to return to the top of the Premier League table as Tim Cahill rescued a 1-1 draw for Everton at Anfield.

The first half was a largely scrappy affair with defences on top but Fernando Torres, starting up front alongside Robbie Keane, missed a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock and Jose Reina had to pull off a couple of smart stops at the other end.

Torres then had a confident penalty appeal turned away early in the second period before Steven Gerrard opened the scoring with a powerful low strike from 20 yards in the 68th minute.

Liverpool looked in little trouble at the back but with three minutes to go Cahill headed home Mikel Arteta's free-kick to extend Everton's unbeaten run to six games and deal a blow to their Merseyside rivals' title hopes.

source :skysports.com

Zenit - Arshavin exit imminent Russian playmaker all set to complete Gunners switch

Zenit St Petersburg boss Dick Advocaat expects Andrei Arshavin to complete his proposed move to Arsenal in the near future.

The Russian playmaker is believed to be on the verge of leaving his homeland and heading for Emirates Stadium.

A big-money move is already reported to have been agreed between the two clubs, with the deal only waiting on the player agreeing terms.

With that expected to be a formality, Advocaat has readied himself in preparation for Arshavin's imminent exit.

"Negotiations with Arsenal continue and the chances are very high that Arshavin will soon play in the English Premier League," the Dutchman told the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has played down speculation suggesting AC Milan will launch a raid for Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie should they agree to sell Kaka to Manchester City.

"No, I'm not worried about that at all," said the Frenchman.

source :skysports.com

Arshavin deal only '50-50' Gunners facing anxious wait

Sky Sports News understands that Arsenal are rated at only 50-50 to land Russian star Andrei Arshavin.

The Gunners were reported to have a deal for the Zenit St Petersburg playmaker virtually sewn up.

Arsene Wenger has made landing the talented 27-year-old his priority during the January transfer window, keen to bring in creative cover for the injured Cesc Fabregas.

However, his pursuit of a man that caught the imagination of Europe's top clubs during an eye-catching showing at Euro 2008 looks in danger of collapse.

Zenit have always insisted that they would be willing to part with Arshavin should their valuation of the player be met.

The reigning Uefa Cup holders have also announced on numerous occasions in recent weeks that they expect a sale to be pushed through before the current window closes on 2nd February.

With the situation now appearing to have taken a backwards step it remains unclear as to where Arshavin's future may lie, with Arsenal facing an anxious wait before determining whether or not he will be heading to Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners could feasibly see their No.1 target snatched from under their noses by Premier League rivals Manchester City.

The Blues have seen their efforts to take Kaka to Eastlands come up short and it is thought that Mark Hughes may be about to turn his attention to Arshavin.

source :skysports.com

Rafa - No pressure Liverpool boss staying calm

Rafa Benitez insists that Liverpool are not feeling any pressure despite failing to recapture top spot in the Premier League.

The Reds were held at home for the fifth time this season, as local rivals Everton scored a late equaliser at Anfield on Monday evening.

The draw meant that Liverpool only moved level with Manchester United, but the Old Trafford giants remain top on goal difference and also now have a game in hand.

But Benitez insists there is no need to panic about Liverpool's failure to move back above United.

"We are not feeling the pressure, and we must look at the positives," said Benitez.

"We are disappointed we did not win. But we are equal with Manchester United in January, we are still in the Champions League and we can make amends for this draw if we win the FA Cup tie against Everton on Sunday.

"And the players still believe they can mount a title challenge.

"It is not pressure to be level on points with Manchester United in January.

"We are disappointed with how we defended against that late free-kick, and disappointed with giving a free-kick away at that stage so close to our box. It could have been avoided."

source :skysports.com

Cech hails fighting spirit Chelsea stopper highlights teams never say die attitude

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech hailed the side's fighting spirit after they came from behind to beat Stoke in stoppage time on Saturday.

Rory Delap had stunned Stamford Bridge when he opened the scoring for the visitors in the 60th minute.

It looked as though Chelsea's recent poor run was set to continue but Juliano Belletti appeared to have salvaged a draw equalising with two minutes to go.

Frank Lampard had other ideas as he fired home the winner in stoppage time to keep Luiz Felipe Scolari's team in the title race.

"I would like to point out our spirit of never giving up in the game and fighting until the very end," Cech said.

"We were having plenty of chances throughout the match but managed to break the scoring record only as late as the final minutes."

Cech also highlighted that the winning goal could be one for the dubious goals panel to decide.

"It was not Frank Lampard who scored the last goal. Michael Ballack did as he deflected Frank's shot into the net," the keeper added.

"Had he not touched it, I think the Stoke goalkeeper might have saved it."

Despite conceding to Delap Chelsea managed to stand firm against Stoke's aerial threat from set-pieces and Cech admitted that the manager dictated how the team defend from dead ball situations.

"The way we defend set pieces, including the organisation, is determined by the main coach," the Chelsea stopper explained.

source :skysports.com

Nielsen hopes for Bhoys deal

Chelsea youngster Morten Nielsen is keen to join Celtic, rather than sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

The Danish striker is out of contract at Chelsea at the end of the season and has yet to make an impact in the first-team squad.

He has been linked with French side Rennes, and has also been offered a three-year deal to stick with Chelsea.

However, the teenager's agent and father Benny says Nielsen is hoping to agree a move to Scottish champions Celtic after visiting the club last week.

source :skysports.com

Scolari - No Drogba problem

Luiz Felipe Scolari says Didier Drogba could return to the Chelsea squad against Ipswich Town and insists there is no problem with the striker.

Drogba has not even made the bench for Chelsea's last two games against Southend United in the FA Cup and Stoke City in the Premier League.

His absence from the squad sparked suggestions that the Ivory Coast ace was being made a scapegoat for the Blues' recent 3-0 defeat at title rivals Manchester United.

Scolari revealed before the weekend's win over Stoke that there was no issue with Drogba before omitting the forward from his plans for the 2-1 victory.

The Chelsea boss has again stressed that there has been no falling out and admits Drogba could be involved for this Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round tie against Ipswich.

source :skysports.com

Carrick eyes cup success

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick is determined to finally win a domestic cup competition and he has his eyes firmly trained on the Carling Cup.

The England international has Premier League and UEFA Champions League honours to boast, but the closest he has got to an English Cup is his FA Cup runners-up medal in 2007.

Now Carrick is looking for United to come from behind against Derby County on Tuesday and book their place in the League Cup final.

"I have never won the Carling Cup but I would love to," he said.

"Derby at home is as good a chance as we will get to reach a Carling Cup final. Hopefully we can grasp it. Then who knows come Wembley."

Big games

Carrick is delighted that the business end of the season means each game is seemingly becoming more and more important

"Now we are on the run-in we are playing big, important games which all mean so much," reflected Carrick.

"You need everyone fresh and on top form. No-one is better at it than the boss.

"It is not a rivalry. We are friends and team-mates so when I am sitting on the sidelines I am still desperate for the team to do well.

"When the younger ones have come in, they have done really well.

"Rafael da Silva is the obvious example. He has played a lot more games than anyone imagined so the incentive is there for anyone to come in and do well."

source :skysports.com

Torres - City wrong for Kaka

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres believes Manchester City would not be the correct club for Brazilian star Kaka.

City's billionaire owners have apparently tabled an audacious bid of £108million for the AC Milan playmaker, who is set to receive a reported weekly wage of £500,000 should a deal be reached.

But Torres believes City's lack of silverware in recent years should serve as a warning that success will not necessarily follow on the heels of a record-breaking move to Eastlands.

"Manchester City is not the right team for Kaka," Torres told the Daily Mail.

"Seriously, how can they pay £100million for Kaka?

source :skysports.com

Kuyt - Reds want revenge

Dirk Kuyt is confident Liverpool can gain revenge for a Premier League draw with Everton by knocking their Merseyside rivals out of the FA Cup.

The Reds' plans of landing the top-flight title were dealt another blow on Monday as a Steven Gerrard strike was cancelled out by Tim Cahill's late header at Anfield.

Liverpool were, therefore, forced to settle for their eighth league draw of the season and while Kuyt insists there is still a long way to go in the title race, the Dutchman has admitted his side's frustration.

The forward is now eager for payback against Everton and is optimistic he and his team-mates can record a victory when Liverpool's derby foes cross Stanley Park in the cup on Sunday.

Disappointment

"We are very disappointed at the moment," Kuyt told Liverpool's official website.

"We controlled the game, had some good chances and scored a great goal through Stevie, so it's difficult to accept this kind of result when you concede so late in the game.

"I think we deserved to win. They had two good chances but overall we were the better team. We created a lot of chances, and are really disappointed that we didn't win.

"But we have to keep going and keep looking forward. Obviously there is still a long way to go and a lot of games to play. We dropped two points but now we just have to look towards the next game.

"We wanted to beat them and thought we could win, but now we want to put things right on Sunday. We will learn from the mistakes we made against them, and we will be ready for them in the cup game."

source :skysports.com

Robinho - No Kaka influence

Robinho has stressed that Manchester City's failure to sign Kaka did not influence his decision to leave the club's training camp.

Brazilian ace Robinho walked out of the warm weather camp in Tenerife on Monday night in order to return to his homeland for family reasons.

However, reports suggested that Robinho had stormed out after City's bid to sign his compatriot Kaka from AC Milan had collapsed.

In an attempt to quash the notion of any unrest, Robinho has explained the reasons behind his seemingly abrupt exit from the squad.

And the playmaker is confident that any problems with the Premier League club will be resolved when he returns to England.

source :skysports.com

Ronaldo sends Man United into League Cup final

MANCHESTER, England (AP) -Cristiano Ronaldo's first domestic goal since November helped Manchester United book a place in the League Cup final with a 4-2 victory over Derby County on Tuesday.

But Alex Ferguson's joy at reaching a 14th domestic final was soured by more players joining the injury list.

Nani took 16 minutes to wipe out Derby's 1-0 first-leg advantage, and further goals from John O'Shea and Carlos Tevez looked to have put the match beyond reach of the League Championship strugglers.

source:nbcsports.msnbc.com

Redknapp hails Bentley revival

Harry Redknapp believes David Bentley is back to his best and ready to win over his critics.

The England international has endured a difficult time at White Hart Lane following his big-money move from Blackburn over the summer.

He has struggled to produce his best form and has come under criticism from his boss for displaying a lack of commitment.

However, with Redknapp having spelt out to the 24-year-old what he is expecting from him, Bentley has begun to look more like his old self of late.

"Maybe he thought 'because I'm coming to Tottenham, I have to be a bit more entertaining'," said Redknapp.

"The work ethic suffered a bit with him; he wasn't working as hard as he had in the past. But now I think he'll get back to that - and with the great skill he has got, I'm hoping we'll see the best of David.

"I told him what I thought of him and his performances - what he can do and what he was doing.

"He took it well. He took it on board and said 'fine, I'll accept that'. He's trained really hard, closed people down and won tackles. He's back to what we saw at Blackburn."

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