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THIRD DEFEAT

Manchester United suffered their 3rd consecutive defeat as they lost 2-1 against Sunderland in the Capital One Cup match as they had to face off for the 1st leg and it was the hosts who took a rather surprising victory against the side of Moyes.

An own goal of Ryan Giggs gave Sunderland the lead during the 1st half but Nemanja Vidic equalized the match at the 52nd minute but unfortunately for Manchester United, Cleverley tackled Johnson in the penalty area and the referee did not hesitate in giving away the set-piece for Borini to slam past David de Gea as they claimed the triumph.

David Moyes is once more lashing out his frustration at the referees, much like he did some weeks ago after going through another disappointing defeat according to him it’s the decisions that the authorities on the pitch which are causing his team on having their recent negative results.

“I feel we are having to play the opposition and the officials,” said Moyes, after Fabio Borini had converted the spot kick “They gave a free-kick on the first goal that I couldn’t believe’’.

“Maybe I have got to understand that’s what happens at Manchester United – they are certainly not giving us much at this moment in time. For the penalty, the linesman gives it, but he can’t see through Patrice Evra’’.

“I just think it is incredible when you think we didn’t get one the other week for the Hugo Lloris challenge against Tottenham. It’s hard to take, it really is.”

Manchester United was already disqualified from the FA Cup after losing against Swansea City some days ago and now is on the verge of getting eliminated from the Carling Cup which just sums up the disastrous season David Moyes has had since being appointed as the new head coach of the club.

The Premier League title is already out of the reach of Moyes which leaves him only having the Champions League available on winning but considering the all-star teams that are battling it out in the European tournament, it’s starting to become likely that he will not be earning any silverware in this season.

MESSI MISSING

Lionel Messi has been one of the best players in the world doubt, and it is not surprising to see even a club like Barcelona being reliant on the Argentine superstar. This has often seen him rushed back from major injuries in the hope of getting results. This has not been a major factor until now. He recently suffered the third injury of the season, which has prompted speculation that Barcelona are not handling him properly. Manager Gerardo Martino has rejected those speculation by saying that Barcelona will give all the time required to get Messi 100% fit.

Barcelona had to take off Messi after just 18 minutes on the clock in the recent win over Real Betis. Even though the team did not need the presence of the 26-year-old in order to complete the 4-1 win, this is a major blow for the club. It is rumoured that he has suffered a hamstring injury, which could keep him out for up to 2 months in the worst-case scenario. Martino has rejected speculation that the latest injury has occurred in the same leg, which caused him problems a month ago. Messi was out for a couple of weeks before being rushed back from the sidelines.

“This injury has nothing to do with his last one. This time he felt discomfort in his right leg. We have the best player in the world, but also four or five others who are among the best. Messi’s absence can never be an excuse,” said the manager regarding Messi’s injury. Barcelona are top of the table after managing at another three points, while their closest rivals Atletico Madrid dropped points in the 1-1 draw with Villarreal. Messi is at a disadvantage compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery in the race for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award this season.

SETTLE DOWN

After sacking Gus Poyet in controversial circumstances last season, Brighton and Hove Albion have begun the season in the worst possible manner with two consecutive defeats. The club managed to make it into the play-offs last season under the stewardship of Gus Poyet. However, he fell out with board at the end of the season and he was ultimately sacked. Oscar Garcia was appointed as the replacement for the Uruguayan manager and he has got to the worst possible start of his Brighton career. The club has suffered two defeats from the opening two matches of the season.

Their first loss of the season came in the Championship against Leeds United. A defeat by Newport County in the League cup has made everyone concerned about the club. Brighton were expected to challenge for a play-off position at the least this season, but such a poor start to the season may spoil the hopes within a few weeks. Captain Gordon Greer, though, has tried to remain positive by saying that it is good that the club has suffered defeats at a very early stage in the season. This would allow them to rectify the mistakes and push on in the remainder of the campaign.

The 32-year-old has also recalled how the club did the same thing last season as well.

“It’s not been great to lose the two games but we can take the positives and the negatives. At this stage of the season we are looking to improve a lot so it is good to sometimes highlight the issues we have got and address them. We did the same last year [losing in the League Cup to Swindon and their opening Championship match to Hull] and had a relatively successful season so hopefully we can do the same again this year,” said Greer.

KONE FOR EVERTON

After taking over at Everton a few weeks ago, former Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is already looking at his former club for a couple of players. Striker Arouna Kone is thought to be keen on his list of players he would like to bring from his former club. The striker is now looking set to join Everton for around £ 5 million. Antolin Alcaraz is also another player who is linked with a move to Everton. Kone has been one of the standout players for Wigan since arriving from Spanish club Levante only last summer. He managed to score some vital goals for Wigan last season.

However, the club was unable to stay in the Premier league despite Kone’s 11 goals. It was immediately expected after their relegation that several top players will leave the club partly because of ambition to remain in the Premier league, while partly because the club cannot afford their wages. Kone is expected to be one of the first departures, and he will bring in £ 5 million in transfer revenue for new manager Owen Coyle to spend at the DW stadium.

Kone helped Wigan win the FA Cup for the first time in their history, but he said soon after that he would like to leave the club after their relegation was confirmed.

“You always have ambitions as a footballer, and I don’t intend to play in the English second division. Wigan have gone down, which is a real shame. It’s up to them to set out their stance about my situation. I aim to play for one of the best clubs in England, and I hope I will get the chance. I’ve had plenty of approaches, I can’t reveal the names of the clubs. I’m under contract with Wigan for two more years,” said the Ivory Coast international.

O’NEILL LEAVES SUNDERLAND

Former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill was recently relieved of his duties at Sunderland. O’Neill lasted just over a year at the Stadium of light with many questioning his ability to manage a top club once again. Celtic manager Neil Lennon’s career has largely shaped by O’Neill, and he has paid a glowing tribute to his manager. It was not long ago that O’Neill created a revolution at Aston Villa and became extremely close to helping the club win a major title. However, things have gone wrong for the former Leicester City manager, as he has been unable to inspire his Sunderland team for large parts of his stay at the club.

He was recently replaced by Paolo Di Canio after poor results meant that Sunderland were just a few points about the relegation zone. Lennon, though, believes that this will not be the end of O’Neill’s management career because he is sure that he will return to his former glory. This was the first management job that has accepted by O’Neill after leaving Aston Villa a few years ago. Lennon also congratulated the new manager Di Canio by saying that he deserves a chance after doing extremely well at Swindon.

Di Canio helped Swindon achieve impressive results during his short stay at the club.

“I was surprised by Martin’s sacking – but nothing should surprise me in football now. I was obviously very disappointed for him but no one will be more disappointed than the man himself [though] he’ll take a philosophical view on it. He’s one of the most experienced managers around and I’m not sure he’ll be out of the game too long, there will be plenty of suitors. He’ll be hurting for a short period of time and he’ll probably take time out. But I’m hoping he’ll come again,” said Lennon.

Carlos Tevez Revives City’s Hopes

Carlos Tevez- the Argentine forward moved Roberto Mancini’s squad back to the twelve points next to the leaders- Manchester United. Even though Manchester City seems to be a bit far from regaining the premier league title, which they won quite spectacularly last season, Tevez’s score against Aston Villa enabled the team to stay alive in the race to retaining the title. The striker hit just a few seconds to half-time and gave his team a 1-0 win. However, Roberto Mancini admitted that it is quite hard for them to catch Manchester United, but he maintained that his squad would continue to push United’s boss, Sir Alex Ferguson and his men right up to when the season comes to a halt.

According to Mancini, although the race is a bit tough for his team this season, they have the spirit and energy to continue fighting. He promised to keep trying. Roberto also noted that it was absolutely imperative for them to remain 12 points at the back of United. He also does not believe that the season is over. There is still enough time for tables to turn. According to him, nothing is impracticable in football. So they have to continue chasing Ferguson’s team until the season is officially over.

Mancini also commended Carloz Tevez for his spectacular score which brought the City back to the 12 points at the back of Ferguson. City’s coach noted that the team played well although they lost a couple of opportunities to score. Aston Villa remains in the demotion zone. Their goal difference keeps them below 17th position. What is more, Paul Lambert’s team is still below Wigan which is position 17 on the table.  Tevez received a cross from Dzeko and immediately dodged Gizan and Baker before taking a perfect shot, which took Manchester City ahead.