Victory at Chelsea on Sunday would put Manchester United back in Premier League title contention, manager Louis van Gaal said on Friday as the former champions were again linked with Jose Mourinho. Fifth-placed United are 10 points behind leaders Leicester City with 14 games remaining and the Dutchman, buoyed by a 3-0 home victory over Stoke City last weekend, said his side should not be counted out. United finally produced some much-needed swagger at Old Trafford to give Van Gaal breathing space as his future continues to be the subject of media speculation. "The competition is still not finished," Van Gaal told reporters on Friday.
Diego Costa has turned into a pale imitation of the player who took the Premier League by storm last year and Chelsea must get him firing on all cylinders again to have any hope of salvaging their wretched season.
Wayne Rooney ended his eight-game Premier League scoring drought with a 2-0 victory against a dogged Sunderland.
Rooney's 50th, 150th and 200th EPL goals have all come against Manchester City.
Substitute Jesse Lingard struck twice in the second half as Manchester United fought back from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 Premier League draw with Burnley at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Burnley's seemingly doomed attempt to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
Manchester United forward Radamel Falcao is "100 per cent ready to give everything" according to wife Lorelei Taron who hit back at manager Louis van Gaal's suggestion that the Colombian is only fit enough to play 20 minutes.
Leicester City staged a thrilling comeback from two goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and go second in the Premier League table on Sunday, scoring three times in 17 minutes.
Out-of-favour Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli will receive a six-figure loyalty bonus if he is still at the club when the transfer window closes on September 1, according to British media reports.
Monaco's Colombia striker Radamel Falcao has recovered from a thigh problem after a three-week injury layoff, the Ligue 1 club's coach Claudio Ranieri said on Wednesday.
Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole is recovering in hospital after undergoing a kidney transplant, the club said in a statement on Friday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Spaniard Pedro scored twice as Chelsea tightened their grip on top spot by sweeping past Bournemouth 3-0 on Monday, a club record 12th successive Premier League win taking them seven points clear.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures:
'Tottenham's teamwork which has given them a chance of reeling in Leicester.'
Philippe Coutinho inspired Liverpool to a comfortable 3-1 home win over Everton in the 228th Merseyside derby on Saturday to move provisionally up to third in the Premier League.
Leicester beat Southampton to open seven-point gap at the top.
ManchesterCity manager Pep Guardiola has expressed doubts over whether Manchester United can challenge for the Premier League title but believes they have a realistic chance of finishing in the top four.
Allowing independent panels to punish players retrospectively for diving and other infringements would be a "disaster", according to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
Mesut Ozil's unhappy spell continued on Tuesday when the Arsenal and Germany midfielder suffered an injury against Bayern Munich that manager Arsene Wenger said is likely to keep him out for several weeks.
The last three league meetings between the two sides, including October's game at Anfield, have ended in draws but Lovren said Liverpool were intent on coming away with all three points on Saturday.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been offered a new contract but because he is now 34, the midfielder might not play in as many matches as he has done in the past, manager Brendan Rodgers said on Monday.
Arsenal beat Fulham 2-0 at the Emirates and Manchester City beat Cardiff City 4-2 at the Etihad before Liverpool could only manage a 2-2 draw at Anfield having trailed 2-0.
The omens are good for a Chelsea side heading into Christmas top of the Premier League tree but manager Jose Mourinho does not want to give title rivals Manchester City any reason to cheer over the festive season. Check out the big games on Boxing Day.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says his side must tighten up defensively after a 5-3 victory over Stoke City on Sunday in which Daniel Sturridge resumed his lethal strike partnership with Luis Suarez.
Bitter rivals Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho had wildly contrasting afternoons on Saturday as Arsenal went top of the Premier League and champions Chelsea lost again with their manager being sent off.
A controversial last-gasp goal deflected into the net off Laurent Koscielny's hand from a close-range shot by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Arsenal a lucky 1-0 victory at Burnley on Sunday as manager Arsene Wenger marked his 20th anniversary at the club.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Chelsea must add a new dimension to their brand of football if the champions are to mount a strong defense of the Premier League title they won in some comfort last season, said manager Jose Mourinho.
'In the present-day game, it is difficult to see any club having players who can stay with them for 10 years'
Defeat always seemed likely for West Brom, who are bottom of the Premier League and sacked their chairman and chief-executive on Tuesday.
CrystalPalace striker Marouane Chamakh ended an 11-game barren streak to help them beat fellow Premier League strugglers West Ham United 1-0 in manager Tony Pulis's home debut on Tuesday.
With just four matches remaining, Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri finally acknowledged the obvious and said his unsung side were fighting for the Premier League title and could win it.
Chelsea brushed aside London rivals West Ham United with a 2-1 away win that restored their 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League on Monday.
Leeds United returned to the Premier League after a 16-year absence on Friday as West Bromwich Albion's loss at Huddersfield Town guaranteed them a top-two finish in the Championship. Three times English champions, Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2004 after hitting financial trouble and being forced to sell a host of big-name players such as Robbie Keane, Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer.
Salah joined Chelsea under Mourinho in 2014 but failed to establish himself at Stamford Bride and was loaned out to Fiorentina and Roma before a permanent move to the Stadio Olimpico outfit in 2016.
Balotelli made his debut for his hometown club after completing a four-match suspension that he was handed at Olympique de Marseille last season, while the visitors were without Cristiano Ronaldo as he recovers from injury.
Manchester United won 2-1 at Crystal Palace to consolidate fourth spot.
