As Leicester City celebrates its Premier League triumph, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com salutes the man behind it.
Karim Benzema's hat-trick earned Real Madrid a 3-1 win at reigning European champions Chelsea in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday. In another quarter-final match, Villarreal stunned six times European Cup winners Bayern Munich 1-0.
Doctor Eva Carneiro has left Premier League champions Chelsea in the wake of last month's public spat with manager Jose Mourinho, according to several media reports on Tuesday.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Wednesday.
Guus Hiddink believes it is still possible for Chelsea to finish in the English Premier League's top four but has told the club's players to have a long look in the mirror.
The Premier League's leading goalscorers will be on show at when surprise leaders Leicester City bid to move further ahead at the top with victory against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Images from Wednesday's action in the Champions League.
Images from Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has left the door open for Juan Mata to quit the team, but insisted that he does not want the Spaniard to leave.
If, as former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson once said, a week is a long time in politics, four and a half months in football clearly represents an eternity.
Liverpool snatched three points with a wild 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.
Leicester City's remarkable Premier League triumph after starting the season as 5,000-1 outsiders transcends sport and might never be repeated, according to the league's executive chairman Richard Scudamore. Leicester, who were on the brink of relegation last campaign, clinched the English league title for the first time in their 132-year history on Monday after second-placed Tottenham Hotspur drew with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Mauricio Pochettino's men trail the Foxes by seven points with two games left to play. "We've had our peaks before. This one, though, is bigger than sport. It has much more human interest in it," Scudamore told The Times. "It's a life-affirming story, which is why it's attracted more interest than you'd normally get.
Chelsea could be without Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis for clash against Manchester City
Hull City were relegated and Newcastle United survived the drop on a dramatic final day of the Premier League season on Sunday when West Ham United announced that manager Sam Allardyce's contract was not being renewed at Upton Park.
English Premier League leaders Chelsea have announced a profit of 18.4 million pounds ($28.89 million) for the year ending June 30 2014, the largest since Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich took over the club 11 years ago.
Midfielders John Obi Mikel, Andre Schurrle and Ramires will all play no part while striker Didier Drogba is not fit enough to play for 90 minutes, according to manager Jose Mourinho.
Liverpool's 30-year English title drought ended on Thursday as they were confirmed as English Premier League champions courtesy of second-placed Manchester City's 2-1 loss at Chelsea. A superb solo goal by Christian Pulisic and a Willian penalty gave Chelsea a 2-1 win over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, a result that handed Liverpool the Premier League title.
Chelsea moved 12 points clear of Arsenal, who suffered their fourth defeat in nine league matches, while fourth-placed Liverpool fell 13 point adrift after their wretched 2017 continued with a shock 2-0 defeat at resurgent Hull City.
Chelsea kept alive their remote Premier League title chances with a 2-0 win over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, set on their way by an exquisite strike from Hakim Ziyech which was quickly followed up by a Thiago Silva header.
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.
IMAGES from the Europa League matches played on Thursday
Manchester City will be without David Silva, Raheem Sterling and captain Vincent Kompany for this weekend's visit to Chelsea, manager Manuel Pellegrini told reporters on Friday.
The difference between this side and the under-achieving teams towards the end of Wenger's reign is their experience. Martinelli made his debut in 2019 while Saka has been a regular since the 2019-20 campaign.
Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel has become the latest big name player to join the Chinese Super League gold rush after leaving Chelsea for Tianjin Teda.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Saturday
Chelsea slipped up in their push for a Champions League spot when they lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday with Emile Smith Rowe's first-half goal settling the London derby after a defensive mix-up by the hosts.
It's not Mourinho, reckons former defender Gary Neville
'I think it's unacceptable what he does to Koscielny. He pushes him down, he hits him in the face. I do not understand Mike Dean's decision at all. Why does Diego Costa stay on the pitch and Gabriel is sent off?' 'If you want to speak about Diego Costa with me, it's just to say he played like he has to play and that's why you have full stadiums, you sell to television around the world for millions and millions because the game has to be played like that'
Romelu Lukaku scored two goals for Everton, one demonstrating rare strength and skill, to knock his old side Chelsea out of the FA Cup 2-0 in a dramatic quarter-final featuring two red cards on Saturday. All the frantic action happened in the final 13 minutes with Chelsea striker Diego Costa and Everton midfielder Gareth Barry sent off but their dismissals only came after Lukaku's brilliance had put the tie beyond doubt. The powerful Belgium striker, who never fitted in at Stamford Bridge and was sold to the Merseysiders for 28 million pounds ($40.28 million) two years ago, proved irresistible with his late five-minute double, especially with a first goal destined to go down in Goodison Park folklore. As the game meandered towards a replay, Lukaku conjured a 77th-minute goal from nowhere, muscling past two defenders on the left, powering into the box and, after some nifty footwork to bamboozle Gary Cahill, firing in a left-foot effort. Everton manager Roberto Martinez hailed it "one of the great goals we will see in the FA Cup".
Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry has joined Championship side Aston Villa, the club's owner said on Monday.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures:
LeicesterCity manager Claudio Ranieri hopes Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante will be given a warm reception when he returns to his old stomping ground for the first time since leaving the English champions.
Chelsea striker Diego Costa is looking for a move away from Stamford Bridge after being told by manager Antonio Conte that the 28-year-old is not part of his plans at the Premier League club, the Spain international has said.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Country's third-largest software services firm Wipro has said it has been chosen as the official digital and IT partner for Chelsea Football Club.
A round-up of Sunday's action in the Premier League.
The Colombian forward is heading to Italian champions Juventus on loan.
Despondent Chelsea fans expressed dismay and anger at the departure of the club's most successful manager Jose Mourinho as they arrived at StamfordBridge on Saturday for the first match since he was fired.
New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has urged his players to retain the aggressiveness they have shown during the pre-season, saying that the combative nature of the game was essential to the style of play he is looking to impose at the club. Six players were booked, while midfielder Cesc Fabregas was shown a red card, in Chelsea's feisty 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Thursday after Gary Cahill's early header condemned the Merseyside club to their first pre-season defeat.
England great Frank Lampard will have to wait to make his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut after he was ruled out of New York City FC's match against Toronto FC on Sunday with a calf strain.
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