Claudio Ranieri's Tinkerman days may be over after he again named an unchanged team but his cautious talk remained, refusing to contemplate the title after Leicester City beat Newcastle United on Monday.
Leicester City's win over Newcastle on Monday not only sent them five points clear of Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the Premier League, it effectively ended the challenge of Manchester City and Arsenal.
Arsenal's bid to win the FA Cup for a third successive year ended on Sunday when they lost 2-1 at home to Watford in a pulsating quarter-final tie.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Sunday.
'It was a great atmosphere, I am so pleased for all of the people who have had harder times with us this season'
Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal has slammed Juan Mata for receiving a red card, saying that the midfielder had 'damaged' the club's chances of victory.
Chelsea must end their hire-and-fire approach and make sure the club's next manager is a long-term appointment, interim boss Guus Hiddink said on Friday. The Dutchman has overseen a dramatic turnaround in fortunes, helping the champions climb to 10th in the Premier League after they were struggling one point off the relegation zone when he replaced the sacked Jose Mourinho in December. Chelsea have changed their manager 10 times since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich became owner 13 years ago with 2005, 2006 and 2015 league winner Mourinho serving two spells at the helm and Hiddink twice operating in an interim role. "The club has to go in a new way where it is not on short spells," Hiddink told a news conference ahead of Saturday's game against seventh-placed Stoke City at Stamford Bridge. "I think now they have to go into a new era of Chelsea where managers have more than one or two years."
The visitors got off to the perfect start when a mix up at the back saw Riyad Mahrez square for Jamie Vardy to tap into an open goal in front of the Kop in the third minute. Liverpool looked for an immediate riposte, but Salah missed two gilt-edged opportunities before Sadio Mane saw an effort disallowed for offside as Juergen Klopp's men grew frustrated.
West Ham United eased into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 5-1 romp at second-tier Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.
Holders Arsenal's long unbeaten run in the FA Cup continued but they were frustrated by stubborn Championship leaders Hull City on Saturday, drawing 0-0 in a dreary fifth-round tie at the Emirates Stadium.
Soccer highlights from across the globe.
A last-minute own goal gave Liverpool a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur to keep them top of the Premier League but Manchester City stayed two points behind having won at Fulham. Huddersfield Town were relegated after their defeat by Crystal Palace.
Manchester City soared above the fog swirling round the Etihad Stadium to demolish Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 and leave the rest of the Premier League peering into the distance in search of Pep Guardiola's record-breaking team on Saturday.
Premier League champions Chelsea, beginning to find their form under Guus Hiddink after a shocking start to the season, will face Manchester City in the outstanding tie of the FA Cup fifth round following Sunday's draw.
Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday on the back of a record 15 successive English Premier League wins, and on the basis of their visitors' recent away form, a 16th victory appears to be the likely outcome.
All eyes will be on Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal when he takes his team to Derby County for an FA Cup fourth-round tie on Friday with the fans' boos from their home defeat by Southampton still ringing in his ears.
Images from the EPL matches played on Saturday
Be it some scintillating action from the Australia Open or Diego Costa's strike sealing the points for Chelsea against Arsenal. In cricket, The Indian team finally tasted success on the back of strong performances from two youngsters. A sensational debut by Jasprit Bumrah followed by a match-winning century by Manish Paney. Be ready to be amazed as Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this super photo feature.
Watford's hopes of avoiding relegation suffered a double blow on Tuesday when they were thrashed 4-0 at home by Manchester City and then slipped into the Premier League relegation zone after fellow strugglers Aston Villa beat Arsenal in the late game.
Holders and Premier League leaders Arsenal will be at home to Championship (second tier) Burnley in the fourth round of the FA Cup after most of the big guns avoided top flight opponents in Monday's draw.
Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder Oscar has taken to Twitter to deny reports of a training ground row with team mate and Spain international Diego Costa.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures:
Chelsea still have a chance of finishing in the Premier League top four and securing Champions League football at the end of the season, interim manager Guus Hiddink has said.
In the middle of Chelsea's most chaotic season in decades, a semblance of normality has broken out.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Manchester United's winless run continued but they gave under-fire coach Louis van Gaal crumbs of cheer with a committed display in an entertaining 0-0 draw with Chelsea while Arsenal went top of the table on Monday.
Leicester City were give a Premier League reality check when the unlikely leaders lost 1-0 at Liverpool on Saturday after Manchester United slumped to a third consecutive league defeat to pile more pressure on manager Louis van Gaal.
Images from Premier League 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.
Get set to be amazed as Rediff.com has all that and more sporting action from the past week encapsulated in this super photo feature.
'If you are a big player, and paid like a big player, you must play like a big player and behave like a big player'
Arsenal will begin their quest to become the first team in modern times to win the FA Cup three years running with a home tie against fellow Premier League side Sunderland in January.
Jamie Vardy became the first player to score in 11 consecutive Premier League matches when he gave Leicester City the lead in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Wednesday
Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe cashed in on a horrendous defensive mix-up to give his struggling side a much-needed 1-0 win at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday.
But for third-placed Spurs, who trail leaders Manchester City and Liverpool by five points, this may prove to be a loss that leaves them with too much ground to make up.
A summary of Tuesday's League Cup matches.
After a six-match unbeaten start to his reign as Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp came down to earth with a bump as his side lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.
City were not at their all-action best early on as Burnley looked comfortable at the back, but the game turned on a penalty decision that incensed the visitors when Bernardo Silva was adjudged to have been brought down by Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope just before the half hour.
Philippe Coutinho scored twice as Liverpool recovered from an early deficit to beat struggling Premier League champions Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and pile more pressure on Blues manager Jose Mourinho.
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances