Barton Blames Himself for Carrick Goal

Michael Carrick hailed 'a big three points' for Manchester United after his goal secured a 2-0 win at QPR on Sunday.
Wayne Rooney opened the scoring after just 52 seconds at Loftus Road, but United wasted numerous chances before Carrick's first goal for almost two years sealed the win.

Winner: Carrick scores Man United's second goal at Loftus Road

United therefore moved top of the Barclays Premier League - for a few hours at least - and Carrick told Sky Sports News: 'It was important we got the second goal, their keeper made some fantastic saves and we knew we needed the second to give us a cushion. It's a big three points.'
As for his goal, Carrick added: 'It's been a long time coming but it was an important goal and a big win for us.'

'Big win': Carrick celebrates his strike

 

Rooney added: 'Their keeper made a lot of good saves but we're thankful for a 2-0 win, it's what we came here to do.
'It was a great ball by Antonio (Valencia) and as a forward you try to put yourself in position and thankfully I got a good connection.'
QPR captain Joey Barton, meanwhile, claimed that he was to blame for Carrick's second goal, and he held his hands up for giving the ball away.

Gutted: Barton was annoyed with himself after giving the ball away

 

Barton tweeted: 'Second goal was my mistake. It happens. Its gone. Time to move forward again.'

He added: 'Have a wonderful night, enjoy the rest of todays sport. Whilst I go home, sit in a darkened room and go over that bad pass 80 times in tears.'

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Round 16 Draw for Uefa Champions League

Lyon v APOEL

Napoli v Chelsea

AC Milan v Arsenal

Basle v Bayern Munich

Bayer Leverkusen v Barcelona

CSKA Moscow v Real Madrid

Zenit v Benfica

 

Marseille v Inter Milan

Chelsea to sell Torres in cheap

Chelsea will listen to offers for £50million flop Fernando Torres in next month's transfer window.
The £150,000-a-week striker has scored just three Barclays Premier League goals since his move to Stamford Bridge from Liverpool on January 31.
Chelsea considered sending him on loan to rebuild his shattered confidence, but they are now prepared to sell.

Torres has failed to fire for Chelsea since his £50m move

 

The club will have to take a massive financial hit on the most expensive player in British football history, but they have almost exhausted their other options.
Instead they will listen to any club prepared to offer around £20m and match his huge salary demands next month.
When Andre Villas-Boas became Chelsea boss in the summer he was convinced Torres could recapture the form that turned him into one of the most feared strikers in world football.
The manager hoped signing Juan Mata from Valencia would improve Torres's game, but even that has failed to spark the Spaniard back to his former glories. 

Off target: Torres was the most expensive player in British transfer history

Chelsea have been patient with the 27-year-old, but the feelers are already out in Europe to find Torres a top club to take him in January.
The World Cup winner has been a disaster since moving to the Bridge and is now behind Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge in the pecking order.
He did not even get off the bench against Manchester City on Monday night and stayed immobile in the dug-out as the rest of the substitutes, along with the backroom team, celebrated Frank Lampard's late winner from the penalty spot.

Daniel Sturridge is above Torres in the strikers' pecking order

It underlines Torres's frustration with his position and the belief that he is now firmly out in the cold at Chelsea.
Although he remains a popular figure with supporters at the London club, he has failed to live up to his billing as one of the best players in the world.
There were signs of the old Torres magic when he scored at Old Trafford in September, but all the hard work was undone when he was sent off against Swansea in the following game. 

Torres has celebrated scoring just four goals this season for Chelsea

He went 13 games without a goal when he signed for Chelsea, finally getting off the mark in a 3-0 win over West Ham on April 23. He was mobbed by team-mates at the time, but then went another nine games before scoring against Manchester United on September 18.
He has scored only four goals this season, despite starting 11 games, with two of those coming against Genk in the Champions League in October.

Why so glum, Fernando?

The arms go up, the roars bellow out. Manager Andre Villas-Boas leads Chelsea’s celebrations as the final whistle blows on Monday night.

But take a closer look... one player doesn’t appear to be in victory mode.

£50million man Torres (circled) appears glum after another match on the bench watching his team-mates shine.

Was there something in the air that night, Fernando?

Torres (circled) fails to celebrate at the final whistle

Chelsea 2 Manchester City 1: Chelsea was the first club to beat Man City in Premier League; This Season

After being dropped for the first time in eight years at Chelsea last week, Frank Lampard was never likely to run to the bench and celebrate his winning goal with the manager.
But Andre Villas-Boas did not seem to care. Not when his side have now become the first team to beat Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League this season and not when they can also taunt them with their superior performances in the Champions League.

Spot on: Lampard wheels away in celebration after scoring the winning goal for Chelsea

To be Frank: Lampard nets his seventh Premier League goal of the campaign to hand Chelsea the win

Drogba celebrate with Lampard

This was an insane game of football. A marvellous piece of sporting theatre but something that was as unpredictable as a Villas-Boas press conference.
After two minutes City were in front thanks to Mario Balotelli. After 30 it seemed they were about to condemn their hosts to another crushing defeat and put Chelsea’s young manager under yet more pressure. From Sergio Aguero there were touches of genius; from City’s midfield another commanding display.
But first came the equaliser from Raul Meireles and then a second half that saw the power shift back to Chelsea, not least because of a second yellow card that meant Gael Clichy was off after 57 minutes.
Only after that was there a sense of inevitability, Lampard’s arrival from the bench pointing to a possible winner from a player so obviously aggrieved at being omitted from the side that faced Valencia last week and apparently heading towards the exit door after a long and distinguished career at Stamford Bridge.
It was Joleon Lescott who finally gave him the opportunity to respond in the 82nd minute, blocking a shot from Daniel Sturridge with his hand and leaving Mark Clattenburg with no option but to point to the penalty spot. Lampard placed the ball on the rain-soaked turf before driving it past Joe Hart.
That he ran away from the bench and towards the crowd was no great surprise. If Villas-Boas did ask his players to acknowledge the bench after scoring, and Chelsea are suggesting the exchange was not quite as has been reported, they almost seemed to over-compensate, barely looking towards the bench never mind running over.

It was a triumphant, less prickly Villas-Boas who emerged afterwards. He has been raging against the world in recent weeks but now his team are beginning to click into gear, this coming on the back of those wins against Valencia and Newcastle.

How they arrived there on Monday night still takes some explaining. For a start, City should have had a penalty soon after Balotelli’s opening goal when Jose Bosingwa brought down David Silva with a clumsy tackle.
Further to that, Meireles could have been sent off for a studs up challenge on Pablo Zabaleta. That said, Yaya Toure could have been dismissed for slapping Juan Mata in the face and Vincent Kompany also flirted dangerously with Clattenburg.
For City, discipline has been a problem. Clichy was their third red card in six games and the fact that they lost after failing to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League presents Mancini with his first major setback of the season. Something that presents him with a different challenge and something that  makes the title race that much more interesting.

Back in the game: Chelsea celebrate as Raul Meireles (centre) draws the hosts level with 34 minutes gone

 

TPresumably City’s Christmas party, due to take place in London last night, was not quite as riotous as it might have been.
Their party-animal-in-chief did his best to kick the evening off on the right note. Late to bed but early to rise, Balotelli gave another demonstration of why he is worth the trouble.
He may have broken a curfew late on Saturday night but he scored a quite brilliant goal that was all the more impressive for the awful conditions.
Aguero was the creator, skipping away from John Terry and two or three other Chelsea players before delivering a perfect through ball.
But it was Balotelli who drifted off Bransilav Ivanovic before dragging the ball wide of an advancing Petr Cech and scoring into an empty net. It was his 11th goal in 14 games and the finest advertisement curry will ever have if it wants to be seen as a health food.

Dismissed: Clichy was sent off in the second half for a second bookable offence

At this stage Chelsea were in trouble; chastened and lacking confidence and almost two goals down when Bosingwa brought down Silva.
But then came a change in approach, Chelsea returning to the deeper defensive approach that worked so well against Valencia and providing their forwards with more security.

It started so well: Balotelli rounds Petr Cech to score the opening goal of the game

Why always him? The Italian striker is mobbed after scoring his eighth Premier League goal of the campaign

The equaliser arrived soon afterwards. In the 34th minute to be exact. It started with a ball forward from Terry and continued when Sturridge, excellent last night, surged past Clichy before inviting Meireles to score with what was a super volley.
Did Chelsea’s players then run to Villas-Boas and his staff on the bench on that occasion? Well no. But they gained in momentum after the break and continued to target Clichy, who having already been booked once for a foul on Sturridge received a second yellow card for a foul on Ramires.

Moment of madness: Lescott handled in the penalty area following Sturridge's shot

Now Chelsea were in control, solid in defence and strong in midfield. Ramires was impressive, as was Oriol Romeu, and the arrival of Lampard as a 73rd minute replacement for Meireles gave them a freshness in that area of the field.
Mancini responded to by sending on Kolo Toure and Nigel de Jong in the hope of escaping with a draw, but to no avail.
With a penalty came a  moment as pleasurable for Lampard as it was for Villas-Boas, even if Chelsea’s players had a group hug at the end without their manager.

Drogba Could be Next.. Anelka Sign for Shanghai

Nicolas Anelka poses with the Shanghai Shenhua shirt after becoming the first big casualty of Andre Villas-Boas' reign.


And Shenhua now hope to convince Didier Drogba to join Anelka in quitting Chelsea for China.
A Chelsea statement read: 'Chelsea Football Club and Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua have agreed terms for the permanent transfer of Nicolas Anelka in the January transfer window.'

Heading east: Nicolas Anelka (right) poses with a Shanghai Shenhua shirt

The Chinese Super League club have confirmed that Anelka will join them on a two-year deal in January that is understood to be worth £175,000 per week.
The dream is now to partner the Frenchman with the Drogba. With the financial muscle of businessman Zhou Jun behind them - he made his fortune from an internet company which held the China licence for the hugely popular World of Warcraft fantasy game - Shenhua have shown they can compete with anyone. And Zhou says there is more to come.             
'(Didier) Drogba, is a very excellent player. From the perspective of Chinese football, if these big-name players, these excellent players, are willing to come to China, we are willing to have warm negotiations and communications with them,' Zhou said.

Anelka is celebrated on the club's website

 

'A lot of clubs are chasing Drogba. From our perspective... we also have to see what Drogba wants. So from our club's perspective, we have this to say - If he is willing to come, we will definitely welcome him.'      
There is already another lucrative offer on the table from China for the Ivory Coast striker.
Drogba, whose contract at Stamford Bridge runs out at the end of the season, has been offered a three-year deal worth more than £30million - £200,000 a week - by Dalian Aerbin.
Aerbin's general manager Li Ming said he was waiting for a response on the offer, adding: 'Money is not the problem.
'Drogba is still one of the most popular soccer stars in the world, though he will be 34 years old. We have talked a lot with Drogba's agent and promised to provide him with a three-year contract.'

Didier Drogba whose contract expire soon will have to choose

Aerbin were only formed in 2009 and have just been promoted to China's top division.
Chelsea are reluctant to offer Drogba more than a year extension as he will turn 34 in March.
Russian big-spenders Anzhi Makhachkala are among other clubs who see him as an ideal high-profile signing.
Aerbin are considering an offer for former France striker David Trezeguet as an alternative if Drogba turns them down.
Shenhua have confirmed they are also interested in Drogba but have not revealed details of their offer as they revel in the signing of Anelka.

Anelka will be paid 175,000 euros per week

Club director Zhou told reporters near the club's Pudong training ground: 'People are aware of Anelka's Chelsea yearly salary which is around 5.8 million euros. So when he comes to China it definitely won't be below this figure.'
The signing of Anelka heralds a massive step for Chinese soccer - and a growth mirroring that of the nation itself.          
'It's like with the opening up of China,' Zhou said. 'We needed to bring in the good stuff from foreign countries for us to learn from.       
'The benefits Anelka brings to the club are obvious. Firstly it will definitely increase the squad's attacking capability.
'Secondly, the arrival of such a high level football star like Anelka in a young club like Shenhua will increase the hopes of the young people and create an example for them to follow.         

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is changing his squad

'It will definitely increase the club's competitiveness.'

The club's captain Yu Tao said on Twitter: 'It is impossible not to be excited! Warm welcome to our new team-mate!'
Goalkeeper Wang Dalei added: 'Tell Anelka he made his new team-mates  really proud!'
Shenhua have a reputation for signing ageing stars, having previously welcomed Ruben Sosa, Jorg Albertz, Carsten Jancker, Junior Baiano and Dejan Petkovic.

Shanghai spokesman Ma Yue did not reveal the fee but said Anelka could start playing in January 'if all contract details are 100 per cent confirmed'.
West Ham had hoped to take the 32-year-old Anelka on loan for the rest of the season but could not match the financial muscle of the ambitious Chinese side, so the Chelsea striker is heading east in the January transfer window.

Home sweet home: The Hongkou Stadium where Shanghai Shenhua play

AC Milan and Tottenham had also enquired about Anelka, while three Major League Soccer teams - New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union and Montreal Impact - were also disappointed.
The rise of the Chinese league was underlined earlier this year when Guangzhou Evergrande signed Dario Conca from Brazilian side Fluminense on a huge contract.

Argentine forward Conca, who is little known outside of South America, signed a deal worth about £130,000 a week.
Villas-Boas is set to cull even more big names from his squad in January, with Salomon Kalou looking likely to leave.
Full-backs Jose Bosingwa and Paulo Ferreira are also available for transfer, while uncertainty now surrounds Frank Lampard, who is no longer first-choice in the team.

Real Madrid 1 Barcelona 3.. What a Big Match

Nearly, but still not quite — Jose Mourinho’s Madrid fell short of Barcelona’s benchmark again as the seventh clasico of the year ended with a victory for the Spanish champions.
Madrid had the perfect start with Karim Benzema scoring inside 23 seconds but Cristiano Ronaldo missed the chance to double the lead and Alexis Sanchez equalised.

Just Fab: Barcelona celebrate Fabregas' third goal

Fabregas beats Fabio Coentrao to score Barcelona's third

Xavi scored with a deflected shot soon after the break and after another Ronaldo miss, Cesc Fabregas put the result beyond doubt.
Mourinho had shown his hand with a bold team selection starting with Mesut Ozil behind Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria and Benzema. It was not the choice of a man still in fear of the Barca side that put five past his team one year and 11 days earlier.

First up: Real Madrid's Karim Benzema celebrates his early strike

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola surprisingly picked Carles Puyol ahead of Javier Mascherano.
The Argentine has been Barcelona’s most consistent defender but Puyol’s incredible record of not being on the losing side for Barcelona in 19 months had persuaded his manager that he was the man for the big occasion and his Ronaldo-shackling performance completely justified the decision.
Right on cue, the rain began to come down on an already wet pitch five minutes before kick-off and with conditions not favourable towards goalkeepers looking to play the ball out from the back, Madrid went 1-0 up with the quickest goal in El Clasico history.
Victor Valdes kicked straight out to Di Maria who tried to find Benzema.

Up for it: but Benzema's header went straight at the keeper

His pass was blocked by Sergio Busquets but ran to Ozil, whose shot was blocked by Busquets again but the rebound fell perfectly for Benzema to smash into the roof of Valdes’ net.
Real Madrid were on a 15-match winning run and looking to strike a potentially decisive blow in the race for the Primera Division trophy, which rivals Barca had lifted for three years in a row.
The capital club kicked off with a lead of three points with a game in hand. But the tricky surface was also a problem for their defenders and when Sergio Ramos slipped, Messi robbed him and homed in on Iker Casillas.
The Madrid captain got down to his right to turn the Argentine’s shot round his post.
Benzema tested Valdes again on 10 minutes with a header from a Di Maria cross. The keeper saved comfortably but then sent his kick straight down the pitch to Casillas. It was a nervous start from the visiting goalkeeper.
Yet another poor kick from Valdes went straight to Xabi Alonso but his attempt at sending it over the goalkeeper’s head failed.

Casillas Beaten by Alexis Sanchez Shot

Valdes was urging his players not to give the ball back to him on the greasy surface.
Di Maria was the next victim of the conditions, slipping inside the penalty box and needing lengthy treatment off the pitch.
On 25 minutes it should have been 2-0 to Madrid. Benzema played in Ronaldo but from the edge of the area he blasted wide.

Behind you: Rivals Pep Guardiola and Jose  Mourinho

Real’s leading scorer was losing his personal duel with Puyol while at the other end Messi was getting the better of every Madrid defender who came near him.
When he was brought down by Alonso with 25 minutes on the clock, referee David Fernandez showed his first card.
Sanchez followed him into the book moments later with a crude challenge on Di Maria.

Sanchez combined with Messi as Barca levelled on the half hour. Messi slalomed past two lunges and slipped a pass through for the Chilean to find Casillas’ bottom right-hand corner.

Messi then won the ball back in his own half, robbing Di Maria with a sliding challenge. His industry was almost punished though. He had been booked for protesting a late challenge from Pepe on Sanchez and when he brought down Alonso two minutes before the break, the referee considered a second yellow.

Beaten: Real keeper Casillas is flat out after Fabregas' strike

The Argentine stayed on and Barcelona were ahead six minutes into the second half when Xavi’s harmless looking shot spun off Marcelo’s heel and wrong-footed Casillas.
Mourinho replaced Ozil with Kaka and Madrid pressed but the game was decided in the space of two minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo always losing to Barcelona.. Why !

From an Alonso cross, Ronaldo headed wide with only the keeper to beat and with almost their next attack, Dani Alves crossed to the back post where Fabregas sent a diving header past Casillas.
The introduction of Seydou Keita was the trigger for some racist chanting from a small section of the Bernabeu.
That aside, Spanish football served up a fine spectacle in difficult conditions but that will be of little consolation to Mourinho, who this morning is again looking up at Barcelona in the title race.