Chelsea have re-signed midfielder Nemanja Matic from Benfica, three years after selling him to the Portuguese side, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
What was meant to be a weekend of solidarity against homophobia in Ligue 1 descended into controversy and embarrassment for French football, as players refused to wear campaign symbols, one striker boycotted his team's match, and a homophobic slur was heard in a stadium tunnel.
'I co-operated excellently with him at Chelsea, and the fact that Mourinho is the coach at Manchester was the decisive factor in my choosing my new environment'
Good news was in short supply for Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho on Saturday as his side were thrashed 4-1 by Liverpool in the International Champions Cup and he confirmed Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic will miss the start of the season.
Nemanja Matic's header ended Sporting's proud four-year unbeaten home run in Europe as Chelsea seized control of Champions League Group G with a 1-0 victory in Lisbon on Tuesday.
Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has defended his Serbian compatriot Novak Djokovic for hosting the ill-fated Adria Tour where a number of players, including the world number one, tested positive for COVID-19. Djokovic was criticised for hosting the tennis tournament amid a pandemic after his coach Goran Ivanisevic and players Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki returned positive tests over the two legs in Serbia and Croatia.
The 30-year-old joins Luke Shaw in the treatment room after the left back pulled out of the England squad with an injury on Monday.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was banished from the dugout and midfielder Nemanja Matic was sent off the pitch as the Premier League champions lost 2-1 at West Ham United who climbed to second in the table on Saturday.
Saturday's 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers followed a 2-0 loss at Arsenal last week.
A stoppage-time finish from Rayan Cherki earned Olympique Lyonnais a dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
'Now we have to look to the next game, which is important for us, in the FA Cup'
Manchester City lost 1-0 to Manchester United on Wednesday but hung on to reach the League Cup final 3-2 on aggregate and will face Aston Villa at Wembley. Nemanja Matic's 35th-minute strike gave United victory at the Etihad Stadium but the midfielder was later sent off and it was not enough to overturn the 3-1 deficit from the semi-final first leg at Old Trafford.
Benfica will rely on little-known duo Nemanja Matic and Enzo Perez, who have played only a handful of games since signing in 2011, to lead the Portuguese league leaders against the vast talents of Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Headers by Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic earned Manchester United an unconvincing 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion in a low-key FA Cup quarter-final played in freezing conditions on Saturday.
Aleksandar Kolarov produced a moment of captain's inspiration, curling home a superb free kick as Serbia got their World Cup Group E campaign up and running with a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica on Sunday.
Mourinho singled out midfielder Nemanja Matic, who created the first goal for Romelu Lukaku and added the second himself with a late header, as one of the few players he was satisfied with.
Djokovic, Coric, Grigor Dimitrov and Viktor Troicki all tested positive for COVID-19 after playing in the event in Serbia and Croatia, which drew big crowds and saw the players pose for pictures together.
Chelsea moved within three points of clinching the Premier League title with a 3-0 victory that condemned Middlesbrough to relegation on Monday after goals from Spaniards Diego Costa and Marcos Alonso plus a tap-in by Nemanja Matic.
IMAGES from the English Premier League match played at Selhurst Park in London on Monday
Chelsea have completed the signing of Basel's Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah, the Premier League club said on their website on Sunday.
Chelsea celebrated their title and captain John Terry's last game at Stamford Bridge with a 5-1 defeat of relegated Sunderland on Sunday , bringing their season's Premier League win tally to a record 30 games.
Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic believes the earlier-than-usual start to the English Premier League season has hurt the team's performance.
Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera have hardly featured in Manchester United's early Premier League campaign but manager Jose Mourinho has assured the duo they are vital to his plans.
Jose Mourinho's United side have 62 points and lead the Merseyside club by two with nine game remaining.
Chelsea will be fined 25,000 pounds ($38,327) and asked for their observations on three disciplinary incidents that occurred in Saturday's eventful 2-1 defeat at London rivals West Ham United.
Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic hopes a late season flourish can make amends for the champions' dreadful start to the current campaign and put them in contention to break into the Premier League's top four for Champions League spots.
Several players from United's first-choice starting line-up, including Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard, are resting after the World Cup and could miss the opening league fixture against Leicester City in less than two weeks' time.
'We made it difficult for them because we scored the second goal. Imagine if it was 11 v 10 at that moment. We started to create more problems for them, but then one counter attack from them and we should do different in that moment'
Chelsea striker Diego Costa will become the latest Chelsea player to wear a protective mask after breaking his nose, leading interim manager Guus Hiddink to liken his side to a 'team of Zorros'.
Midfielder Cesc Fabregas must continue to sharpen the defensive side of his game to earn a place in Chelsea's starting line-up, manager Antonio Conte has said.
United, who had Nemanja Matic sent off for a second bookable offence in injury time, had an early effort from Alexis Sanchez disallowed for offside but soon took command via a scrappy 35th-minute effort from Romelu Lukaku and a superb left-foot volley from Chris Smalling three minutes later.
Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer berated his team for their under par performance in the first half in their FA Cup semi-final first leg loss to cross-town rivals Manchester United
Mourinho not concerned by Manchester United's slow pre-season
The win extends United's unbeaten run in all competitions to 14 matches and secures a 30th appearance in the last four of the FA Cup for the club.
Defender Raphael Varane scored his first Premier League goal as Manchester United returned to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Brentford on a night of potential farewells at Old Trafford. Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo, the latter with a penalty, also netted on Monday, which is the last home fixture of a difficult campaign for United.
Jose Mourinho tried to conceal his obvious anger at the incidents which he clearly believed had cost Premier League leaders Chelsea victory over Burnley on Saturday.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has lost an appeal against the suspended one-match stadium ban and 50,000 pounds ($76,115) fine he received last month, the Football Association said on Thursday.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been given a one-match stadium suspension with immediate effect and fined 40,000 pounds ($61,680.00) over a misconduct charge, the Football Association said on Monday.
VfL Wolfsburg have completed the signing of talented winger Kevin de Bruyne from Chelsea with the Belgian agreeing to a five-year contract, the Bundesliga club said on Saturday.
Chelsea rounded off the UEFA Champions League group stage with a 3-1 victory over Sporting.
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