David Moyes loses first game as West Ham boss

David Moyes said he was disappointed by his new players after his first game in charge of West Ham United ended in a 2-0 defeat at Watford.

Goals in each half from Will Hughes and Richarlison were enough to earn victory for Marco Silva's team.

Diving bans possible in Premier League next season - PFA chief Gordon Taylor

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said the retrospective bans could be introduced next season.

Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) chief executive Gordon Taylor has said retrospective bans for diving could potentially be brought into English football for the 2017-18 season.

Taylor confirmed last month that a taskforce had been set up to look into the proposal, while talks have been taking place with the Scottish Football Association, which already issues retrospective two-match bans for simulation.

Mourinho: We need help from Man Utd fans to beat Liverpool

Following the 2-0 EFL Cup semi-final first-leg win over Hull at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, Jose Mourinho has urged Manchester United fans to ‘raise the roof’ in Sunday’s Premier League clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford.

United boss Mourinho also insisted there was a need for improvement from himself and his players too as he urged supporters not to “come to the theatre” on Sunday but “come to play with us”.

After second-half goals from Juan Mata and substitute Marouane Fellaini steered his side to victory against the Tigers on Tuesday, Mourinho expressed his concerns, saying: “Maybe I didn’t do my job well to prepare the players for the game.

“But the players have to improve and I have to improve, and I am sorry to say I think the fans have also to improve for a big match on Sunday.

“Our performances (for the Hull match) were enough to win but for Sunday, we all have to improve.”

He added: “I always think that we are responsible for the fans’ participation in the game.

“If we play very, very well, very enthusiastic, they come to the pitch and play with us. When we didn’t play so well, with so much emotion and intensity, it is normal that they relax a little bit.

“We have absolutely amazing fans.

“What I feel is that Sunday is a special match for us, a special match for the Manchester United fans – so my invitation is don’t come to the theatre, come to play, play with us.”

Mourinho said his team “played slow”, “complicated things” and “always had one more touch, one more second to delay the decision”, although he did admit that in terms of this having been a ninth straight win in all competitions for United, he “cannot ask more” of his players.

And he said: “In spite of a match against Reading (Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup win) where we could rest some players, it is an accumulation of matches in this period.

“So only after Liverpool we are going to have a little space until we play Stoke away.

“But now we need one last effort. Let’s recover and focus on Sunday.”

Eden Hazard admits he played like a ‘ghost’ last season as Chelsea failed in Premier League

Eden Hazard has been in fine form this season for Premier League leaders Chelsea (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea forward Eden Hazard wants to cement himself as one of the best players in the world after admitting he played like a ‘ghost’ last season.
Belgian star Hazard enjoyed a stunning season two years ago as he scored 19 goals to fire Chelsea to the Premier League title.

But Hazard suffered a dramatic dip in form last term, only registering four league goals as the Blues could only muster a mid-table finish.
Things have certainly changed this season, however, with Hazard’s return to form coinciding with a superb run of results at Stamford Bridge.
Commenting on Chelsea’s dreadful title defence, Hazard told Fox Sport: ‘I learned a lot.
‘Sometimes you are at the top like we were two years ago and sometimes it is difficult for everyone.
‘For me, I was the best player two years ago, but last season I was like a ghost.
‘I want to be the best again and win titles.’

Guardiola loses his cool after another Manchester City red card

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City are being harshly treated by officials and admits he has taken time to adapt to the style of football in the Premier League.

Guardiola was in a tetchy mood despite City’s 2-1 victory over Burnley on Monday as he vented his frustrations over the first half dismissal of Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho.

It was Fernandinho’s third red card in six weeks and City’s seventh in 30 games this season, but Guardiola reacted sarcastically to being questioned over whether his side had a disciplinary problem.

“Yes, from the team with the most ball possession. Yeah, yeah, yeah,” said Guardiola.

“We had a lot of disciplinary problems. Now we expect what the FA decide.

“We try to play football, don’t forget it. My teams always in my career try to play football. I cannot control the other circumstances.”

To compound Guardiola’s bad mood, he felt that Burnley’s goal from Ben Mee should have been disallowed for a foul on City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo as he issued another sarcastic reply to a question about Fernandinho’s red card.

“It is always our fault, it’s always City’s fault,” he snapped. “Yeah, yeah. I saw other games. All around the world, the Burnley goal on Claudio Bravo is a foul.

“Here, and all around the world, the rules say the goalkeeper in the six yard box cannot be touched. He goes here and the striker does this (slaps his arm).

“But I saw (Marteen) Stekelenburg Everton v Middlesbrough at the beginning of the season and it was the same, it was a goal.

“Okay, so I have to adapt and I have to understand there are special rules here in England. Now I learn, so now we’re going to play.

“I saw the foul for Claudio Bravo, that was definite.”

– Sarcastic –
Burnley manager Sean Dyche, whose side was undone by goals from Gael Clichy and substitute Sergio Aguero, believed that City should have finished the game with nine men after Bacary Sagna was booked for kicking out at George Boyd as the winger tried to retrieve the ball to speed up kick-off following the visitors’ goal.

“It’s a tough one but it’s a sending off because he swipes out at Boydie,” said Dyche.

“He was trying to get the ball back and go to the centre circle.

“The linesman was a long way from it and the referee was running back towards the centre so maybe the linesman saw enough to give a yellow but not enough to understand it’s a kick out.”

Fernandinho now faces a four-game suspension, starting with Friday’s FA Cup visit to West Ham, and with German international Ilkay Gundogan ruled out by long-term injury, City are short on numbers in midfield.

The City manager also seemed dissatisfied with his own supporters at the start of the second half, gesturing for them to give his team increased support as they sought a badly-needed victory.

“We need their support. These players deserve their support,” said Guardiola.

“We are going to try and play as best as possible but we need their support.”

Earlier, however, the City manager had been even more sarcastic and confrontational in an interview with a BBC reporter when asked whether he thought Fernandinho had deserved his red card.

“You’re the journalist not me. Ask the referee not me,” he said.

“We’ll accept. The team with more ball possession, we have always sendings-off.

“I have to understand the rules here in England. I know you are specialist and I have to understand that.”

Jurgen Klopp jokes that Pep Guardiola was at Anfield to 'watch good football'

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, center, and Sunderland Moyes in attendance at Liverpool's Tuesday match against Stoke City.

Jurgen Klopp jokingly suggested that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola attended his Liverpool team's 4-1 win against Stoke City to "watch good football."

Asked in his post-match news conference about the Spaniard's attendance, Klopp said: "I respect them a lot, but I have not been to City's stadium this season or last to watch games. Maybe they want to watch good football."

Stoke  were the better side early on and went ahead through Jon Walters, but Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino scored before half-time before Giannelli Imbula's own goal and Daniel Sturridge's first in the Premier League this season 56 seconds after coming off the bench wrapped things up.

The win puts Liverpool in second place in the Premier League -- one point ahead of their Saturday rivals Man City -- while both teams try to make up ground on table-toppers Chelsea during the busy festive season.

Klopp added: "We are already looking forward [to Man City]. It's a difficult game for both teams, but an exciting one. The best news for us is that it's at Anfield.

"They're an outstanding side, we are not too bad. It'll be a nice game.

"Whatever I say tonight, we cannot win it tonight. But maybe I could say a few things that make it more difficult for us. It's probably best I shut my mouth.''

Earlier in December, Klopp took his Liverpool side to watch Barcelona in action against Borussia Monchengladbach in Champions League group play.

ESPN Premier League's Team of the Week: No City and Liverpool player

Andy King scored a fine goal in Leicester's thumping 4-2 win against Manchester City.

After each round of Premier League fixtures, ESPN FC brings you its Team of the Weekend. Our panel of experts carefully selects 11 star performers along with a manager.

Goalkeeper: Gabriele Marcotti chose Manchester United's David De Gea for a place between the sticks but Steve Nicol and Shaka Hislop both selected Lukasz Fabianski for his display as Swansea eased the pressure with a 3-0 win against fellow strugglers Sunderland. Former Premier League goalkeeper Hislop said: "It's been a tough season for the Swansea No. 1, in a tough for week in general for goalkeepers, but Fabianski was solid and reliable."

Right-back: Hector Bellerin's comeback from injury wasn't scheduled, but his return to the Arsenal team gave them a great boost as they came from behind to beat Stoke City 3-1. Marcotti makes a solid case for Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta, but Hislop and Nicol outnumber him 2-1, with Hislop pointing out: "Bellerin's return changed Arsenal for the better and his pace unsettled Stoke."

Centre-back: It's no surprise that the Premier League's big boys are beginning to circle Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk. The Dutch defender has been imperious this season and was a key man once again as the Saints kept their sixth clean sheet in the league this term with a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough. Marcotti took note, saying: "He was dominant in the air, first to the ball on the ground and dangerous at the other end."

Centre-back: Phil Jones' resurgence at Manchester United has been understated, but he put in another solid shift as Jose Mourinho's men shut out Spurs at Old Trafford to keep their first Premier League clean sheet since October. Marcotti and Nicol were full of praise for Jones and his handling of Harry Kane, with Marcotti saying: "He was strong defensively, didn't allow himself to be pressed or pulled out of position and matched Kane at every turn."

Left-back: Watford might have shipped two in their 3-2 win over Everton but Jose Holebas' performance going forward, which saw him set up two of the Hornets' goals, sees him rightly nominated for a spot in Team of the Weekend, although he was run close by Burnley's Stephen Ward. Marcotti said: "Holebas was steady from the flank and he delivered two pinpoint assists."

Midfield: Danny Drinkwater's suspension was supposed to cause problems for Leicester City, but judging by the performance of Andy King in the 4-2 win against Manchester City he won't be missed at all. "No Drinkwater, no problem," Marcotti enthused. "He did a double duty -- he scored a beauty that showed he has King Power."

Midfield: Before his departure on a stretcher, Henrikh Mkhitaryan was Manchester United's main creative outlet and the man who scored their winning goal against Tottenham. The Armenian has been a revelation since Jose Mourinho ended his exile and his form has impressed Nicol and Hislop. "Why was he not playing sooner?" Nicol asks, with Hislop adding: "He was exceptional throughout. That goal was the finish of a player in full confidence."

Midfield: If Swansea are going to avoid relegation this season, Gylfi Sigurdsson is absolutely crucial and he was central to the winning performance against Sunderland, scoring the first and setting up the second in a 3-0 win. Hislop and Marcotti give him the nod for this weekend's XI, with Marcotti observing: "He keeps Swansea ticking and his quick brain makes up for a lack of speed," while Hislop chimes in: "It all came together this weekend, when it was needed most, but it's got to continue if Swansea are to survive."

Forward: It was business as usual for Diego Costa, the Premier League's Player of the Month, as he scored his 12th goal in 15 appearances for the campaign and the TOTW panel could only sit back and admire his work in Chelsea's 1-0 win over West Brom. "Tireless and disciplined, he was the difference between one point and three points. Great goal too," Hislop said. Nicol agreed, adding: "He produced a piece of magic from nowhere."

Forward: On only his second Premier League start, Stefano Okaka was Watford's match-winner against Everton, scoring two goals, "One of them was a goal of the season contender: a gorgeous flying back heel flick," according to Marcotti, to lift the Hornets to the dizzy heights of seventh place. His performance also earned him the nod from Hislop.

Forward: Jamie Vardy's hat trick against Manchester City ended the striker's Premier League goal drought, which stood at 741 minutes, and lifted some of the gloom around the club following their poor recent form. "He had a party in Pep-land and tore up City's fragile backline on the counter-attack," Marcotti said, while Hislop adds: "Time to party again for the hat trick hero."

Manager: In a week when his job was questioned and Leicester suffered the heaviest Champions League defeat of any Premier League club ever, losing 5-0 to Porto, Claudio Ranieri proved he is still capable of getting a response from his players. "Leicester dialled the clock back to last season and were devastating on the break," Marcotti said. "They have the right character to bounce back." Hislop added: "I was torn between Ranieri and Bob Bradley but the always likeable Ranieri wins after cutting a frustrated figure of late."

Man United can still reach top four but 'long distance' from title - Guardiola

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side beat Mourinho's United 2-1 at Old Trafford back in September.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes local rivals Manchester United can still challenge for a Champions League qualification spot this season but added that Jose Mourinho's side are a "long distance" off the title pace.

United are currently nine points off fourth-placed City in the Premier League table following Sunday's 1-1 draw at Everton, which maintained the club's worst ever start to a Premier League campaign.

Mourinho's side are 13 points behind leaders Chelsea, who won 3-1 at City on Saturday to avoid being overtaken at the top by their hosts.

Guardiola said that, while he thought resurrecting their title hopes would be difficult, United could still challenge for a return to the Champions League next year after missing out on this season's competition.

"I saw the games against Stoke and Burnley, and other ones at Old Trafford," Guardiola told his prematch news conference ahead of Tuesday's Champions League match at Celtic.

"They deserved by far to win the games but football is like this. United have the quality, the history, the manager and the players to be there.

"Of course, 13 points is a long distance, especially when one team is winning games with the quality of Chelsea. So it is not easy. But to be in the first four? Of course."

City have already ensured their progress into the round of 16 in Europe, qualifying as runners-up in their group behind Barcelona.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan must produce in Premier League - Jose Mourinho

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has challenged Henrikh Mkhitaryan to produce in the Premier League as he did in the 4-0 Europa League defeat of Feyenoord on Thursday.

Mourinho handed Mkhitaryan just his second start of the season, while leaving out Anthony Martial. Mkhitaryan's previous start came in the 2-1 home defeat against Manchester City on Sept. 10.

The Armenian had only made one further appearance since then, as a sub in the 2-1 defeat at Fenerbahce on Nov. 3, before being selected to face Feyenoord.

Discussing Mkhitaryan's display, Mourinho said: "He just needs now to try to replicate this kind of performance in the Premier League. The Premier League is different. He needs one more step.

"Obviously now the confidence level is higher. This performance gives him the right to believe that he can play the next match.

"The Premier League has more physicality, more aggression. He needs a bit more of that. But, with the quality, we know why we bought him. He has a high level of technical quality. He's very intelligent, very bright, with how he reads the game."

Mourinho also explained his excited reaction following United's fourth goal by saying: "The goal was amazing. If it was another team scoring that goal, another manager on the touchline, the goal would cross the planet. People would be speaking about magic. With a Mourinho team, it's just one goal."

Speaking about the performance as a whole, the United manager said: "We had that little bit of pressure on shoulders but they coped very well with it, with a good, solid performance."

I’m ready to quit Chelsea – Mikel Obi

Nigeria captain Mikel Obi says he is ready to quit Premier League giants Chelsea in January in search of first-team football.

The 29-year-old, who guided the Super Eagles to a 3-1 victory over Algeria’s Desert Foxes in their Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier in Uyo on Saturday, admits he is no longer happy at Stamford Bridge.

And Mikel says he is not happy that Chelsea’s Italian manager Antonio Conte has overlooked him, despite working hard in training.

It has been suggested Conte decided to freeze the South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner out of first-team contention because he opted to represent Nigeria at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where the Under-23 team won bronze (Nigeria’s only medal in the competition).

But the Blues’ second longest-serving player behind captain John Terry says he has no regrets over his decision, saying he is ready to leave the team in January.

“Yes, maybe people will say the new manager was upset I left and went to the Olympics, that I didn’t have a pre-season with the team,” The Sun quoted the player, who scored Nigeria’s second goal against Algeria in Uyo, as saying.

“He (Conte) probably thinks I don’t care about the team, things like that.

“But I don’t want to use those excuses. I have to keep training hard and make sure I change the manager’s mind. If not, then we’ll see what happens in January.”

Mikel added, “But, no, I would never swap my Olympic medal for a place back in the Chelsea team.

“One thing you have to do in life as a man is that when you make a decision, or a sacrifice, you have to deal with it.

“You have to stand by your decision. You have to live with it.

“I have not one single regret in going to the Olympics. And I will not trade my medal for anything.”

Meanwhile, Mikel has denied Conte decided to leave him out of his team because he went to the Olympics against his wish.

He said Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr was misquoted as saying he was being punished at Chelsea because he travelled to Rio.

“I’d like to clarify that the recent media claims I’ve been punished by Chelsea for participating at the Rio 2016 Olympics are completely inaccurate,”he said.

Report: Manchester United have biggest wage bill in world football

Manchester United have the highest wages in world football according to a global sports salary survey, produced annually by the Sporting Intelligence website.

United's first-team squad earn £5.77 million-a-year basic salary on average, which is £110,961-per-week. That is reportedly more than double the average basic first-team pay in England's top division, which is £2,438,275-a-year or £48,766-a-week.

The club are the fourth highest paid in world sport, behind Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA (£6.54m average), New York Yankees of the MLB (£5.81m) and LA Clippers of the NBA (£5.78m). The next highest football clubs on the list of world sports teams are fifth-placed Barcelona (£5.64m) and ninth-placed Manchester City (£5.42m).

In the Premier League, the two Manchester clubs were followed on the list of big spenders by Chelsea (£4.51m), Arsenal (£3.71m), Liverpool (£3.01m) and Tottenham Hotspur (£2.68m).

The lowest wages in the Premier League were at Burnley (£0.95m), Bournemouth (£1.1m), Hull City (£1.22m) and Middlesbrough (£1.22m). They were still higher than the average wages for Scottish champions Celtic (£0.71m).

The findings showed that United have three players in the top 10 of best-paid players in world football. Paul Pogba was fifth (£15.1m per year or £290,000 per week), Wayne Rooney was eighth (£13.5m per year or £260,000 per week) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic was 10th (£13m per year or £250,000 per week).

No other Premier League players were in the top 10 of that list, which included four from La Liga and three from China. The best-paid players were jointly Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who brought in £18.98m per year or £365,000 per week.

The Premier League, though, pays more than double the average salary of their nearest competitors La Liga (£1,239,295) and Serie A (£1,105,633).

Premier League average pay has multiplied by almost 32 times in 25 seasons, from about £77,000 in 1992-93. United's first-team salaries have risen from about £140,000 per year in the first Premier League year to more than 40 times that amount.

Liverpool dominates Watford and goes top of the premier league table

Liverpool moved top of the Premier League for the first time under manager Jurgen Klopp, after putting six past Watford in a 6-1 dumping. Sadio Mane scored twice.

Mane added to goals from Philippe Coutinho, Emre Can, Roberto Firmino and Georginio Wijnaldum as Liverpool claimed their seventh win in eight Premier League matches, moving a point above Chelsea at the top of the table.

Liverpool took the lead through Mane’s header and Coutinho added a quickfire second with a fine 20-yard strike. Adam Lallana’s cross found Can to head home a third just before half time and Liverpool’s superiority continued after the break.

Lallana was the provider again for Firmino who converted the fourth and the Brazilian then picked out Mane for his second and Liverpool’s fifth.

Daryl Janmaat pulled a goal back for Watford but Liverpool had the final say as substitute Wijnaldum netted his first goal for the club in the 91^st minute.

Man United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored Premier League's 25,000th goal

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic ended a run of 609 minutes without scoring in the Premier League when he bagged the team's second against Swansea on Sunday. 'What a way to end your goal drought! Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores the #PL's 25,000th goal,' a tweeter user reacted.

His goal gave Manchester United a 2-0 lead 21 minutes in, but the more important is that it marked the 25,000th goal scored in the Premier League since its inception in 1992.

Radamel Falcao: No regrets about Premier League spell

Monaco striker Radamel Falcao has insisted his Premier League experience with Manchester United and Chelsea was not a flop, claiming he drew "positive things" from it.

Falcao, 30, moved to United on loan from Monaco in the summer of 2014, but scored just four goals in 26 Premier League appearances for them.

The following summer, the Colombia international joined Chelsea for the season, where both Jose Mourinho and his successor, Guus Hiddink, rarely used him, handing him just a single top-flight start.

"I had the opportunity to play in the Premier League, and I did it. I have kept the positive things of that experience," he told reporters ahead of Monaco's Champions League game at home to CSKA Moscow on Wednesday. "I developed as a player but also as a man."

Falcao returned to Monaco in the summer, where he signed a five-year deal when he joined them from Atletico Madrid in 2013.

"Now I'm back at Monaco. I try to enjoy it as much as possible, to string games together to get back to my best," he said. "I have always been able to overcome difficulties during my career. It'll be the same now."

Falcao's career in England got off to a slow start as he was still recovering from a serious knee-ligament injury sustained in January 2014 during a Coupe de France game with Monaco, which forced him to miss that year's World Cup.

Earlier this week, Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim criticised his player's decision to move to England when he should have been focusing on getting back to full fitness.

"Falcao's problem wasn't only his knee injury but also that he left to go and play elsewhere for two seasons, in Manchester and then at Chelsea," Jardim said. "He tried to continue playing at a high level when normally when you have an injury like that, you stay at your club to try and get back quickly."