News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Former Newcastle United striker Michael Chopra is ready to surrender his British passport to represent the country of his origin, India, and realise his dream of playing senior-level international soccer.
Blackpool, in the bottom tier of the football league 10 years ago, secured a place in the Premier League with a 3-2 Championship playoff final triumph over Cardiff City at Wembley stadium on Saturday.
Newcastle United gained immediate promotion back to the English Premier League without playing on Monday after Nottingham Forest's failure to beat Cardiff City in the Championship (second division).
Holders Chelsea eased into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 4-1 home victory over Championship (second division) side Cardiff City on Saturday while Portsmouth won by the same score at local rivals Southampton. After a season of shocks, the upsets dried up in the fifth round as Birmingham City came from behind to win 2-1 at Championship side Derby County with a last-minute goal by Liam Ridgewell while Manchester City and Stoke City drew 1-1.
Chelsea have given under-fire captain John Terry several days off and he will miss Saturday's FA Cup fifth round tie against Championship (second division) side Cardiff City at Stamford Bridge.
Holders Manchester United overcame the 29th-minute sending-off of teenaged Brazilian defender Fabio Da Silva to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday.
Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur recorded their fourth win in as many matches on Wednesday with a comfortable 5-1 win over second division Doncaster Rovers in the League Cup second round.
Swansea City have sacked their Danish manager Michael Laudrup with the Welsh club having dropped into a Premier League relegation battle after a dramatic slump in form that has left them two points above the drop zone.
The former Valencia player expressed surprise that Chelsea were willing to let him depart, but having been an unused substitute in their last two league matches, he relished the chance to play for another "massive club".
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Arsenal manger Arsene Wenger remains on the hunt for striking options for his injury-hit squad despite being boosted by the return of forward Olivier Giroud for Monday's English Premier League clash at Aston Villa.
Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres applied the gloss to a workmanlike 2-0 victory at Hull City that lifted Chelsea ominously to the top of the Premier League on Saturday.
Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has warned resurgent arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur they are travelling across North London for their eagerly-anticipated FA Cup third round tie at a bad time.
Arsenal set up an FA Cup quarter-final against Hull City when they cruised past Championship (second division) side Burnley 3-0 in their delayed fifth round match at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Eduardo da Silva made an emotional return to club action after almost a year, scoring twice to help Arsenal beat Cardiff City 4-0 in their FA Cup fourth round replay at The Emirates on Monday.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe has been ruled out for up to 10 weeks after scans revealed a stress fracture in his right foot, the club said on Monday.
Steven Gerrard was again Liverpool's saviour on Sunday as the inspirational captain secured a 1-1 draw with Everton in the Merseyside rivals' fourth-round FA Cup tie at Anfield. Gerrard struck nine minutes after halftime to cancel Joleon Lescott's first-half header as the game finished with the same score as their Premier League meeting on the same ground last Monday.
Luis Suarez struck a clinical hat-trick as Liverpool thrashed West Bromwich Albion 4-1 at Anfield to keep pace with Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday.
Swansea City scored the day's biggest upset when they knocked holders Portsmouth out of the FA Cup with a deserved 2-0 fourth-round win at Fratton Park on Saturday.
Salah was seen training with a protective cast on his forearm this week but Klopp dismissed any fresh injury concern relating to the Egyptian.
Champions Manchester United won the Community Shield 3-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw against FA Cup winners Portsmouth at Wembley.
Portsmouth's FA Cup final celebrations were marred at the weekend when two players had their winners' medals stolen.
Rain ruined the third day of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord's on Saturday with only 8.5 overs possible during a frustrating day for players and spectators. In that period, a 40-minute session before lunch, England took their overnight score of 68 for no wicket to 89 without loss in reply to New Zealand's first innings 277.
The race for the English title could finish next Sunday with the top two teams level on points for only the sixth time.
Manchester United and Chelsea, who meet in next month's Champions League final in Moscow, will focus on matters much closer to home this weekend when they renew their battle for the Premier League title. Chelsea travel to face a revitalised Newcastle United on Monday while United host West Ham United on Saturday.
Portsmouth reached the FA Cup final for the first time in 69 years after beating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 in the semi-final.
Veteran striker Kevin Phillips scored an extra-time penalty as Crystal Palace ended an eight-year Premier League absence by beating Watford 1-0 in the Championship (second tier) playoff final at Wembley on Monday.
Portsmouth reached the FA Cup final for the first time in 69 years on Saturday when a 54th minute goal from Nwankwo Kanu gave them a 1-0 semi-final win over West Bromwich Albion at Wembley Stadium. Portsmouth will now play either Cardiff City or Barnsley, who meet in an all-Championship semi-final on Sunday, in the final at Wembley on May 17.
Portsmouth stunned Manchester United with a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on Saturday to reach the FA Cup semi-finals. The visitors were under siege throughout but a rare break 12 minutes from time ended with Milan Baros being fouled by United keeper Tomasz Kuszczak who was sent off and Sulley Muntari beating stand-in goalie Rio Ferdinand from the penalty spot.
The prospect of the first repeat FA Cup final for 123 years increased on Monday when holders Chelsea and last year's beaten finalists Manchester United were kept apart in the quarter-final draw.
The eagerly-awaited FA Cup fifth-round clash between England's two top teams turned out to be a one-sided affair.
The Gunners will take on Manchester United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup fifth round.
Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool also joined Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.
Fernando Torres scored a hat-trick to inspire Liverpool to a 4-2 victory at Reading in the League Cup third round.
Newcastle United were thrashed 5-1 by second divison leaders Birmingham City in their FA Cup third round replay on Wednesday at St James's Park.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struck in injury time to earn Manchester United a 2-1 home win over Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
India beat China U-20 2-1 to clinch third place in the Vancouver Whitecaps Nations Cup.
Three youngsters of Indian origin joined the ongoing junior camp in Goa on Friday.
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