Chelsea were given a stiff examination by Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday before extending their lead at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor was handed a three-match ban for violent conduct by the English Football Association on Thursday.
Chelsea scrambled a 2-1 home win over west London rivals Fulham on Monday as two goals in two minutes saved them from what was looking like a first home defeat for more than a year. Tottenham Hotspur moved back into the top four with a 2-0 victory over struggling London rivals West Ham United, while in the day's late match Manchester City gave new boss Roberto Mancini a second straight win with a 3-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In Conte's absence, Stellini guided Spurs to wins over Manchester City, West Ham United and Chelsea.
Sunderland took full advantage of beating the freeze as they won 1-0 against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday to climb to sixth in the Premier League.
Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner made goalscoring returns from injury on Wednesday as Arsenal thrashed Newcastle United 4-0 away to reach the last eight of the League Cup.
David Silva scored a late goal as runaway leaders Manchester City won their 13th successive Premier League game and restored their eight-point lead with a 2-1 victory against West Ham United on Sunday.
In-form Liverpool face a 'difficult' match on Saturday against an Aston Villa side who have improved after a change in system, boss Brendan Rodgers said as he welcomes back top scorer Luis Suarez after a one-match ban.
Manchester City have completed the signing of Argentine striker Carlos Tevez after he passed a medical, the Premier League club said on Tuesday.
Injuries have blighted Liverpool's start but Adam Lallana is back in full training after damaging his thigh pre-season and is expected to feature while another injury concern, Sadio Mane, also trained on Wednesday after tweaking a hamstring on international duty with Senegal.
Tottenham Hotspur maintained their late-season drive for European soccer and pushed Newcastle United further towards relegation when they won a one-sided Premier League match 1-0 at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
Manchester United crushed Derby County 4-1 away while Everton beat Aston Villa 3-1 at Goodison Park on Sunday to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. United were pushed all the way by the Championship (second division) strugglers in the League Cup semi-finals last month but cruised home this time with goals by Nani, Darron Gibson, Cristiano Ronaldo and Danny Welbeck.
The 28-year-old tied up the 15 million pound move late on Wednesday after passing a medical.
Norwich City's Jamal Lewis threw his relegation-threatened side a lifeline with a a 70th-minute goal to beat visiting Premier League high-flyers Leicester City 1-0 and secure a vital three points on Friday. Norwich remain bottom of the table but are now only four points from the safety zone -- three adrift of Watford and West Ham United with Aston Villa another point ahead.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday.
Arsenal turned on the style to beat Bolton Wanderers 3-1 on Saturday and get an early-season taste of the top of the Premier League. They top the standings on 12 points, one ahead of Liverpool, who were held to a goalless Anfield draw by Stoke City.
West Ham United vice-chairman Karen Brady says hopes of re-starting the Premier League in three weeks are "dreamland" and believes this season could be declared null and void. England's top-flight soccer league, like the rest of world sport, finds itself in unprecedented peace-time territory as it attempts to react to the coronavirus pandemic which has infected nearly 800 people so far in Britain.
West Ham United and England striker Carlton Cole has been charged with improper conduct for comments about Ghana fans on Twitter during last month's international at Wembley last month, the FA said on Friday.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has said that the League Cup will provide an opportunity for him to assess the development of the youngsters in his squad.
West Ham's Zouma given 180 hours of community service for kicking his cat
Klopp mimicked Silver Stallone in the Rocky movies when he yelled "Adrian!" into the television microphone and he was clearly appreciative of his goalkeeper's efforts.
Pat Lampard, mother of Chelsea midfielder Frank and wife of former West Ham United player Frank Senior died on Thursday, Chelsea said in a statement.
Arsenal scored a late goal to force a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa but saw their lead at the top of the Premier League cut to one point after Manchester United won 3-0 at Fulham.
Unbeaten Arsenal stretched their lead in the Premier league to five points after a 2-1 win at Aston Villa on Saturday while Chelsea beat West Ham United 1-0 to overhaul Manchester United and go second.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he will not change the way his team play despite suffering two defeats in a week and losing playmaker David Silva ahead of Manchester United's visit on Sunday.
Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho scored two poacher's goals as they beat Manchester United 3-1 in their FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday to set up a last-four clash against Southampton.
A summary of Thursday's action in the Premier League.
Third-placed Aston Villa are the surprise package of the season and Unai Emery's side face relegation-threatened Burnley while fifth-placed Spurs host a resurgent Bournemouth who have 19 points from their last seven games.
Rafa Benitez's risky decision to start Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt on the bench looked like a masterstroke on Saturday after the strikers came on late to earn a 3-2 victory at Portsmouth which sent Liverpool top. Liverpool's grandstand finish moved them one point clear of Premier League champions Manchester United, at least until Sunday when Alex Ferguson's side visit West Ham United for one of their two games in hand.
Craig Bellamy scored his second goal since joining Manchester City to earn his side a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the Premier League on Saturday.
Midfielder Joe Cole was given the chance to rekindle his career on Monday when he joined Liverpool after being released by Chelsea in May.
LA Galaxy have reached an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur to buy Ireland captain Robbie Keane, the MLS club said on their website on Monday.
Petr Cech helped the Gunners enjoy a rare victory over Jose Mourinho's side on Sunday.
Aston Villa took full advantage of the absence of the other Premier League high-fliers on Saturday, winning 1-0 at West Ham United to climb to third. A deflected James Milner shot 12 minutes from time gave Villa 34 points from 18 games and pushed them above Manchester United (32).
Arsenal beat Brighton and Hove Albion 3-2 to reach the FA Cup fifth round.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Wednesday.
Volcanic ash cloud has paralysed air travel and has affected sporting events around Europe. Take a look:
Former England defender Sol Campbell took a step towards a remarkable return to Arsenal's first team when he played for their reserves against West Ham United Tuesday. 'Talks are ongoing with Sol with a view to a permanent move back to Arsenal Football Club,' the Premier League club said on their website (www.arsenal.com).
Everton missed the chance to confirm a place in next season's UEFA Cup when they were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday. Liverpool, knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea on Wednesday, won their final home Premier League game, Fernando Torres notching his 32nd goal of the season in all competitions to earn a 1-0 victory over Manchester City.
West Ham United stole the limelight with a stunning double swoop for Argentines Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
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