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