News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The top four failed to muster a goal on Saturday as Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United drew 0-0 while Arsenal went down 3-0 at Manchester City. Premier League leaders Chelsea could find no way through Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool had the same problem at home to Fulham and third-placed Manchester United were held 0-0 in a lively game at Aston Villa.
List of major transfers in the top Premier League ahead of the 2019-20 season (all transfer fees as reported by British media):
A gunman was jailed for at least 28 years on Thursday for the murder of a former boxing champion who had asked a group of men to stop smoking in a bar.
The 52-year-old, who had already admitted a misconduct charge prior to Tuesday's personal FA hearing, will be banned from stadiums for the first three matches and he will be barred from the touchline for the remaining four.
Wales manager Chris Coleman has poured cold water on the possibility of him filling the England manager's post recently vacated by Roy Hodgson.
Twelve months ago Liverpool were ripping up the record books on the way to their first English top-flight title for 30 years but defeat by Everton on Saturday left them mulling a host of far less flattering statistics.
Newcastle United eased their relegation fears with a 2-0 home win over Fulham on Saturday as attention focused on the battle to stay in the Premier League.
Manchester City defender Michael Ball has admitted an FA charge of violent conduct after stamping on Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo in Saturday's derby.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson will call on a rested Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney to fire his side into the Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of Olympique Lyon on Tuesday. The tie with French champions Lyon is evenly poised, albeit with United having an away goal in the bank after a late Carlos Tevez strike secured United a 1-1 draw in Lyon last week.
Bristol Rovers got the FA Cup fifth round underway with an upset on Saturday when Rickie Lambert's late free kick gave the League One (third division) side a 1-0 win over Championship (second division) Southampton.
Arsenal will host Newcastle United in the outstanding League Cup third-round tie after the draw was made on Saturday.
Schwarzer, 42, played 12 times for Chelsea last season as backup to Petr Cech, but has only been an unused substitute four times this season.
Manchester United stayed put atop the English Premier League after 2-0 victory over Reading as Arsenal routed Fulham 3-0 and Chelsea beat Birmingham City 1-0.
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has been ruled out for a month with a calf injury sustained in Saturday's 6-3 win over Arsenal, manager Manuel Pellegrini said on Monday.
Chelsea also begin the new English season at home, against promoted Birmingham City.
Five talking points from the Premier League weekend:
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.
Chelsea captain John Terry, who underwent surgery on Sunday for a broken cheekbone, will travel with his team mates to Valencia for Wednesday's Champions League Group B game.
Manchester United defenders Jonny Evans and Rafael will miss Tuesday's Champions League match at Real Sociedad due to injury, manager David Moyes said on the eve of the Group A game.
"It is a different Arsenal now," Wenger told a news conference on Friday. "They are not going to let other teams kick them off the pitch."
Champions Manchester United stumbled to their second successive Premier League draw on Wednesday when they were held 1-1 at Portsmouth.
Chelsea set an unbeaten home record of 64 matches during their 3-2 win over Birmingham City.
A second-string Arsenal side proved strong enough to secure a 2-0 victory at Championship club Burnley on Sunday and with it a place in Monday's FA Cup fourth-round draw.
De Bruyne out for up to six weeks due to injury, says Guardiola.
Chelsea host Villa on Wednesday, Newcastle United on Dec. 29 and are away at neighbours Fulham on new year's day.
'The only good thing that has come out of our current situation is that it has brought communities closer.' NRIs describe the impact coronavirus is having on their lives.
Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has agreed a new 12-month contract to stay at Old Trafford next season.
Leaders Manchester United will meet Premier League rivals Reading in the FA Cup fifth round.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hopes his players return injury-free from the international break this month for a hectic run of fixtures that could define the Premier League champions' season.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Manchester United beat Fulham 2-0 at Old Trafford on Monday to climb to second in the Premier League.
- George Best, one of the most talented footballers to grace the 'beautiful game'.
Chelsea reached the League Cup quarter-finals thanks to two own goals in a 3-2 win over second-tier Derby County on Wednesday as Frank Lampard's return to his former club ended in disappointment.
Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski could be ruled out for up to 10 weeks with a hamstring injury, manager Arsene Wenger said on Thursday.
Former Hull City midfielder Jimmy Bullard, who is now retired, says the club 'changed his life' by paying him up to an extra 15,000 or 16,000 pounds a week by mistake.
England striker Wayne Rooney suffered a hairline fracture of his left foot in Manchester United's 0-0 draw with Reading on Sunday, the Premier League champions announced.
The players are likely to get three-match Premier League bans following dismissals during last week's friendly against Porto in Amsterdam.
Aston Villa will be the first league visitors to Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium on the opening day of the Premier League.
For the second time in five weeks, Chelsea have been fined for failing to control their players
In 1997 IBM's Deep Blue computer beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov. But did IBM fight dirty?
