Looking for Soccer News?

Atletico Madrid star Diego Costa is thriving on the competition for goals with Luis Suarez, whom he jokingly called a "b*stard" for outscoring him against Elche. 

Diego Simeone's men tightened their claim on the La Liga summit with a 3-1 victory on Saturday - a welcome return to form after losing out to city rivals Real last weekend. 

Costa came off the bench to score from the penalty spot in his first game back in just short of a month, having recovered from a bout of deep vein thrombosis. 

But he was overshadowed by his Uruguayan strike partner, who netted both of Atletico's first two goals to take his Liga tally to seven since moving from Barcelona in the summer. 

And his team-mate accused him, albeit with his tongue firmly in cheek, of saving up the goals to overshadow his return to the team. 

"I wasn't here and Suarez wasn't scoring; I come back and he gets two, the b*stard!" Costa joked to reporters after the final whistle. 

"I hope he keeps it up. I am very happy, the more goals he scores the better for Atleti. 

"We are going to keep winning and respectfully competing against each other, he came out and scored twice and then I came in and hit one. 

"If we want to win something big that's the way it has to be, like when we won the league, one player went out, another came in and was up to the task, we had a great team." 

Costa's recent blood clot was the latest in a series of physical setbacks that have restricted his playing time since returning to Atletico from Chelsea in January 2018. 

Now the Spain international is hoping that those troubles are behind him as he looks forward to re-establishing himself in Simeone's plans. 

"I'm very happy I can be here, I was already delighted to get the call, to see my team-mates and train," he added. 

"Life knocks me down, but I always get back up. I have a family, my team-mates, the physios, the doctors... When I am not on the pitch, I try to give my all from the sidelines. 

"It hasn't been easy, ever since I arrived there has always been something, but I am strong enough to fight and get back up. I'm back with a goal and very happy." 

Atletico are back in action on Tuesday against second-placed Real Sociedad, who welcome their title rivals to Anoeta.

Frank Lampard thinks Chelsea's team is too early in its development to be compared to Liverpool's Premier League title-winning side and has detailed why his side sometimes falls short.

The Blues manager's comments come after Chelsea suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since December 2019 which saw the club drop from third place down to seventh in the league table.

Those losses to Everton and Wolves came after a 17-game unbeaten run in all competitions that had drawn a lot of positive attention towards Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp then went as far as labelling Lampard's side the title favourites but Lampard was keen to play it down and he isn't surprised that Chelsea have stuttered and not been able to show the Reds' 'machine-like' ruthlessness consistently.

"Everyone was talking about us going on a great run and we should win the league. Part of my reasoning to dampen that was other teams have probably been together longer and built for longer which builds confidence within the group of players that they can deal with things better in games," Lampard told reporters from Cobham.

"Part of where our progression is that where we have some younger players and newer players, and I think as times goes on, they will definitely get stronger in those moments. That’s why you have to take lessons from things like the other night when we lose.

"Personality is very hard to measure. I just think with a group that has been together for a long time and maybe suffered some tough moments and failures.

"Liverpool in their period now, they looked like an absolute machine last year, but there would have moments that they would have gone through over those four or so years as a club where they would have looked at themselves.

"I played in a team that had that. The early Abramovich years, we didn’t win the league the first year, we came second and next year we felt a bit stronger and learnt a bit more. I think that is football.

"It’s never easy to quantify as such but you certainly can work on it and build it and I think the responsibility is definitely with manager, staff and players altogether.

"The realism is we are not a Liverpool of last year or a Manchester City of the year before where you can just go out and win, win, win, win, win. In periods, you have to be ready for some tough moments."

Chelsea are now hoping to overturn their defeat with a win over David Moyes' West Ham on Monday night who sit just one point and one place below them in the table.

The London rivals are closer than ever after 13 games and a defeat could bring a wave of negativity in a busy period for the west Londoners. In assessing what has gone wrong, Lampard says Chelsea have fallen short in the basics having had time to analyse the last two games.

"The basic demands of football are the high-speed runs, sprints and being competitive, and we dropped our level for 15 or 20 per cent," he added. "The understanding of it for me is clear.

"The confidence has to remain because we were playing very well and the table is very tight at the top level. We are much closer than we were to the top last year. We just need to remind ourselves of the great things we were doing before these two games."

Lampard himself hasn't been absolved of criticism after seeing the level of performances drop for two of his big money signings Timo Werner and Kai Havertz.

Some have called for a change of system, while others have suggested he has players playing out of position but Lampard remains confident about his 4-3-3 that delivered well-balanced performances just a few weeks ago.

"In terms of collection and system, the day that I pick a system and select a team that will make every Chelsea fan happy, it’s impossible, that day will never come and I understand that," he concluded.

"So I have to do what I believe in and what we have done this season, and the unbeaten run coincided with us going to 4-3-3, and I felt it was the way forward for us. It was bringing out the strengths of the players and we were doing it very well, there were things within that system that I wanted to do and how we were moving the ball and building up play, we were pressing, but like I said before, we came off that a little bit.

"So it’s not as if we were doing things terribly; we were just doing them at 70 per cent.

"For instance, the second goal against Wolves, we’re four against two, so you have to make sure you don’t allow the player to turn. There are counter-pressing positions which against Tottenham we absolutely nailed for 90 minutes.

"So there are little things and that’s the lesson for the players to have to react in-game and pick up those moments and get them right. So players have responsibility but I have to take it overall."

Mikel Arteta has admitted he understands questions about his position at Arsenal following the team's latest setback, but is focused on turning their fortunes around.

The Gunnes fell to a 2-1 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday, to extend their winless run in the Premier League to seven games.

With Fulham securing a 1-1 draw at Newcastle later on Saturday, Arsenal are now only four points above the relegation places.

It is a far cry from the unbeaten start to the season - which followed FA Cup final glory last term - when there were suggestions that Arteta had unlocked the secret at the Emirates and was capable of masterminding a title push.

Title challenges are a distant memory and while it is too early to be suggesting Arsenal are in the relegation battle, Arteta is aware of the need to turn things around and can understand why some are questioning if he is the right man for the job.

“I understand that,” Arteta said in response to questions about whether his position is under threat. “My energy and my focus is only on getting the team out of that situation, maintaining the spirit on the team and the fight the boys showed every time they go on the pitch. You can see that, you cannot deny that. 

“Obviously, again, the results - there is no question about that, it's not good enough and it's not acceptable for the standards of this football club and this is the challenge and the fight that we are against.”

Arteta, who is without captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang due to a calf injury, is convinced his methods are correct, but knows the team need to turn their form around.

“It's a really complicated situation, but I am very encouraged from what I see from the players to continue doing what we are trying to do,” he said. “We think that of course we have to improve, but I think we've been very, very unlucky not to pick up many, many more points.”

Arteta feels fine margins are the difference between victory and defeat for his side at present. 

He said: "Again, when we analyse every game, the reasons why we are losing football matches, compared to other teams winning them, the margins are small. But we need those margins [to change] very quickly before the situation gets impossible to handle.”

Hansi Flick has revealed he was left with “no other option” than to take off Leroy Sane, 36 minutes after introducing him as a substitute during their 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

Former Manchester City winger Sane, who is working his way back to full fitness, was brought on in the 32nd minute as a replacement for Kingsley Coman.

Bayern were trailing 1-0 at the time to a Patrik Schick goal, but drew level through Robert Lewandowski shortly before half-time.

Flick was not happy with his side’s efforts midway through the second half, and elected to bring on Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala. Corentin Tolisso gave way for Kimmich, and it was Sane who was hauled off for Musiala.

It was a decision that raised eyebrows, but Flick felt he was left with no other option based on the performances of his players on the pitch.

"When we make substitutions, we have to do it sensibly,” Flick said. "If you see the second half, Thomas Muller is indispensable, Serge Gnabry improved in the second half, that's why I substituted Leroy Sane. 

“We had to react like that because there was no other option."

Managers are judged on their decisions, and Flick’s paid off in the end as Lewandowski popped up deep into stoppage time to net the winner for Bayern - having been teed up by substitute Kimmich.

The win allowed Bayern to leapfrog Leverkusen and move to the top of the Bundesliga, two points ahead of their opponents and RB Leipzig.

For Sane, it is a setback he will need to pick himself up from. Last month, Flick called out the winger for his lack of quality against RB Salzburg in the Champions League.

"We are pleased with him, but it is important that when he starts a game, he gives a 100 per cent,” Flick said. “We are working on that.

“Like other players, he unnecessarily lost the ball a couple of times against Salzburg and in some instances, he didn't quite pursue one-on-ones. There are reasons for it, and we talked about that. He will try to do better next time.”

It would appear Flick did not see what he wanted from Sane on Saturday, but the winger now has a fortnight to set things right as Bayern are not in action again until they face Mainz on January 3.

Kerala Blasters and East Bengal, in their sixth match of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL), are eying their first win at the GMC stadium in Bambolim. This will be Sunday's second kick-off as Hyderabad and Mumbai City play earlier.

TV CHANNELS & LIVE STREAM

The Star Sports Network have the exclusive broadcasting rights of the ISL in India.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

TEAM NEWS

Kerala Blasters Possible XI:   

Injured - Sergio Cidoncha
Doubtful - None     
Suspended - None  

Key Players - Rahul KP, Gary Hooper       

East Bengal Possible XI: 

Injured - Danny Fox, Sankar Roy 
Doubtful - None
Suspended - None    

Key Players - Aaron Amadi-Holloway, Jacques Maghoma       

Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus took out their frustration on Parma as the Bianconeri swept to an ominous 4-0 win at the Ennio Tardini on Saturday.

After a midweek draw at home with Atalanta, in which Ronaldo missed a penalty, Juventus were out to make amends on their travels and did so resoundingly.

Ronaldo scored twice to take his tally to a league-high 12 from nine Serie A appearances, going two clear of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku.

His efforts followed an opener from Dejan Kulusevski, the winger who dazzled on loan with Parma last season but now belongs to the impressive array of Juve attacking options. Another from that forward line, Alvaro Morata, headed a late fourth.

The visitors' breakthrough came in the 23rd minute when Alex Sandro's low ball from the left ran practically across the penalty spot, with the slightest touch off Morata, to find former Parma loanee Kulusevski. His finish low into the left corner was precise and the celebrations muted.

Ronaldo leapt supremely to head the second for Juventus three minutes later after Morata chipped a clever delivery into the heart of the penalty area, again from the left.

Juventus were dominant and almost had a third before the break when Leonardo Bonucci bundled wide after Weston McKennie headed Bentancur's corner towards goal.

Head coach Andrea Pirlo had said Juventus were "a bit angry" with the Atalanta result, and they were making sure there was no way back into this game for Parma.

Ronaldo struck again in the 48th minute, with Aaron Ramsey releasing him to drive low and left-footed beyond Luigi Sepe from 12 yards.

Juventus thought they had a fourth goal when Matthijs de Ligt tucked in from close range after McKennie's header was parried, but Bentancur's corner that preceded the chances had travelled out of play before curling back in.

Ronaldo nodded wide from a corner and held his head in his hands, knowing a hat-trick opportunity had passed him by.

Morata's late goal was a bonus for a Juventus side who remain unbeaten through the first 13 games of Pirlo's Serie A coaching career.

What does it mean? Don't get Juventus angry

Juventus were mainly frustrated with themselves at failing to get the better of Atalanta, and they soon closed the door here on Parma's hopes of escaping with any reward.

They dominated possession (62.4 per cent) and made it count, carving out 19 chances to Parma's 11, in a performance that will have been noted in Milan. Stefano Pioli's Milan and Antonio Conte's Inter are out to halt Juventus' nine-year streak of Scudetto triumphs, but on this showing that long reign might well continue.

Ronaldo the gift that keeps on giving

He turns 36 in February but Ronaldo could have years left at the top level based on this season's evidence.

He had five shots here and the two that found the target took the game away from Parma. The first was a trademark soaring header, and the second showed he still has that burst of pace that gives him a yard on any defender.

He gave the ball away 16 times - only Alex Sandro lost possession as many times - but with Ronaldo you take the rough with the smooth, and again the smooth here was something to behold.

Parma problems return

Fabio Liverani's team had gone four games unbeaten before this trouncing, and now they must regroup and tighten up. It was no surprise that right-back Simone Iacoponi was substituted on the hour mark, with much of Juventus' devastation having been wreaked down his flank. Parma have won just two of 13 games, and it could be a long, hard season ahead.

Key Opta Facts

- Ronaldo became the first player since Omar Sivori in 1961 to score 33 Serie A goals in a signle calendar year.
- Juventus star Ronaldo is one of only four players to have scored at least 33 goals in a single calendar year in Serie A history; only Gunnar Nordahl (36 goals in 1950) and Felice Borel (41 in 1933) were more prolific.
- The reigning champions have scored at least three goals in two consecutive Serie A away matches for the first time since December 2017.
- Juventus have kept a clean sheet away from home in Serie A for the first time since last June, ending a run of 11 games on the road without a shutout.

What's next?

Juventus face Fiorentina at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday, while Parma wrap up their pre-Christmas programme on the same day at Crotone.

Hyderabad and Mumbai City will be involved in Sunday's early kick-off in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco. The Islanders were held by a 10-man Jamshedpur in their last outing.

TV CHANNELS & LIVE STREAM

The Star Sports Network have the exclusive broadcasting rights of the ISL in India.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

TEAM NEWS

Hyderabad FC Possible XI:   

Injured - Joel Chianese, Luis Sastre, Fran Sandaza
Doubtful - None     
Suspended - None  

Key Players - Aridane Santana, Liston Colaco      

Mumbai City Possible XI: 

Injured - None 
Doubtful - Mandar Rao Dessai
Suspended - None

Key Players - Adam le Fondre, Ahmed Jahouh        

Rob Holding has matched Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s undesirable Arsenal exploit in the 2020-21 Premier League season following his own goal against Everton on Saturday.

Nigeria international Alex Iwobi had swayed a cross and Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed into the English defender who mistakenly diverted it into the net to give Carlo Ancelotti’s men a 22nd minute lead.

In the process, he becomes the third player from the North London outfit to turn the ball into his own net this season.

In a twist of irony, Holding is the first Arsenal player to score an own goal against Everton in the Premier League since Arteta himself did so in April 2014, in a 3-0 defeat at Goodison.

Saka put the ball past goalkeeper Bernd Leno as Mikel Arteta’s side succumbed 3-0 at home to Aston Villa on November 8. The England international of Nigerian descent gave the Claret and Blue Army a 25th minute lead after he inadvertently slid the ball into his own net.

It was Aubameyang’s turn on December 13 as that helped Burnley pick up a remarkable 1-0 result from the Emirates Stadium.

The Gabon international headed into his own net while trying to clear Ashley Westwood’s corner, to the dismay of 2,000 returning Gunners supporters.

Despite Nicolas Pepe saving Holding’s blushes with a 35th minute equaliser, Colombia international Yerry Mina had the final say with his 45th minute winner as Arsenal slipped to a characterless 2-1 defeat against the hosts at Goodison Park – adding to Arteta’s woes.

The Emirates Stadium giants, without injured captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, have now gone seven league games without a win.

Arsenal's 14 points from 14 games this season is their worst record at this stage of a season since the 1974-75 campaign (12 points, converted to three per win).

Both teams are in English Football League Cup quarter-final action, with the 13-time league winners facing Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Tuesday, a day before Alex Iwobi’s Everton host Odion Ighalo’s Manchester United.

Arsenal welcome high-flying Frank Lampard’s Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday – with the ambition of rescuing their crumpling season.

Senegal's Opa Nguette and Algeria's Farid Boulaya found the back of the net as Metz sealed a 2-0 win over Lens in Saturday's Ligue 1 outing.

Boulaya helped Nguette open the scoring in the 30th minute and the Algerian forward later sealed maximum points for the hosts at the death of the match.

Their efforts made it back-to-back wins for Metz and their second straight clean sheet in the French top-flight.

A host of African stars were on parade at Stade Saint-Symphorien including Ghana's John Boye, Algeria goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja and Senegal's Papa Yade while Cameroon striker Ignatius Ganago, DR Congo's Gael Kakuta, Ivory Coast's Seko Fofana were in action for Lens.

Nguette and Boulaya have now returned three goals each in Ligue 1 in this campaign.

On the international scene, Nguette - who made his Senegal debut against Nigeria in 2017 - scored his second goal for the Teranga Lions last month during their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea-Bissau while France-born Boulaya made his debut for Algeria in a friendly match against the Super Eagles in October where he played for 90 minutes in their 1-0 win.

Saturday's victory moved the Maroons to ninth in the league table with 23 points from 16 matches, a point behind Lens.

Metz travel to Rennes for their last league fixture on December 23 before the winter break while Franck Haise's side welcomes Brest to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on the same day.

Borussia Monchengladbach coach Marco Rose has apologised on behalf of the club after Marcus Thuram was sent off for spitting in the face of Hoffenheim's Stefan Posch.

Thuram was shown a straight red card with 11 minutes remaining as Hoffenheim came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Gladbach in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The red card came after an intervention by VAR, as the initial action had not been spotted by the officials on the pitch.

Thuram’s red card came four minutes after Andrej Kramaric had levelled the scores for Hoffenheim, who went on the claim the win through Ryan Sessegnon, who is on loan at the club from Tottenham.

The France international forward - the son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram - had a good disciplinary record prior to the game, as it was his first red card for the club.

Rose fronted up to the media after the game and issued an apology, saying the only explanation was that Thuram “must have blown a fuse.”

Speaking after the game, Rose said: “On behalf of the club and personally as head coach, I would like to apologise for the red-card incident involving Marcus Thuram. 

“It is completely out of line and has no place on the football pitch. 

“Marcus is a good person, is self-reflecting and has been well raised. He must have blown a fuse in that moment - it’s the only explanation for his behaviour. I apologise for that. He has done his team a disservice.

“We’re conceding avoidable goals at the moment. It doesn’t feel good to come away with a defeat.” 

Rose’s Hoffenheim counterpart Sebastian Hoeness added: “I accept Marco Rose’s apology for Marcus Thuram’s action on behalf of the club - good on him for saying it publicly.”

Thuram followed his manager's lead and issued a statement on Twitter apologising for his actions, saying it was out of character and accidental.

"Today something took place that is not in my character and must never happen again,” he said. ”I reacted to an opponent in a wrong way and something occurred accidentally and not intentionally.

“I apologise to everyone, to Stefan Posch, to my opponents, to my team-mates, to my family and to all those who saw my reaction.

“Of course, I accept all of the consequences of my gesture.”

The defeat continued a poor run of form for Gladbach. It was their sixth game on the spin without a win, and they will hope for a pre-Christmas confidence boost when they face Elversberg in the German Cup on Tuesday.

Gladbach are still in the Champions League and will take on Manchester City in the round of 16 when the competition resumes in February.

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Gavin Hunt feels his side is making progress after their encounter with Bloemfontein Celtic on Saturday evening.

Amakhosi were held to a 1-1 draw by Phunya Sele Sele in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match which was played at FNB Stadium.

It was a game which saw Chiefs dominate the first-half, but they could only score once through Anthony Akumu and the result saw Amakhosi extend their winless run to six matches in the league.

"I thought good performance, first-half very good you know. We've had some great opportunities, if you make it 2-0, 3-0 then it's much easier," Hunt told SuperSport TV.

"The longer it stays at 1-0, they had one chance the whole game and they scored. That's pretty much what has been the story of our season so far.

"So disappointed but with what we have, you know we're making progress."

Celtic equalized in the second half through Tumelo Mangweni after the Chiefs defence was caught ball watching. 

Hunt felt that they should have won the game, but he explained that there are positives which he can take from the encounter. 

"They [Celtic] got pace, when you have pace in your team, a lot of movement they are always going to hurt you on a turnover," he continued. 

"But we also turned over a few times, we had some good opportunities you know. But obviously, you know upfront, it is what it is.

"The result should be better, we all know that but there are signs, there are certainly signs. But you're getting hurt with every little mistake it's a goal against you."

"I understand that in football but you have to work a little bit harder then," the experienced coach added. 

"We have to be a little bit compact and things like that, all in all certainly we should have got three points. I felt it, you know? But it is, what it is."

Chiefs have now turned their attention to the Caf Champions League where they will host Angolan side CD Primeiro de Agosto in the first-round first-leg match on December 23.

Brazilian football legend Pele has congratulated Lionel Messi for matching his record for goalscoring at a single club, which has stood for almost half a century. 

Messi netted his 643rd competitive goal in Barcelona colours on Saturday to level against Valencia at Camp Nou, after Mouctar Diakhaby had fired the visitors into an early lead. 

That figure matches Pele's record with Santos in official competition during his time at Vila Belmiro, although the Brazilian scored many more in friendlies and tours that are not included on the record books. 

The Argentine, who is by some distance Barca's all-time highest scorer, was unable to crown a memorable day with victory, as the Liga clash ultimately ended 2-2. 

But despite now having to share his record, which will surely fall in the days or weeks to come, Pele expressed his admiration that another superstar has shown the same loyalty and dedication that he demonstrated over almost two decades representing Santos.

"When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to change your path," the 80-year-old former forward wrote on Instagram. 

"Like you, I know what it's like to love wearing the same shirt every day. Like you, I know that there is nothing better than the place we feel at home.

"Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona.

"Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, unfortunately will be increasingly rare in football. I admire you very much, @leomessi."

Messi now has six goals in the 2020-21 Liga season, as both he and Barcelona have struggled to show their best form under new coach Ronald Koeman, who took over from Quique Setien in the wake of August's 8-2 Champions League humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich. 

The Catalans sit in fifth place in the league, eight points shy of current leaders Atletico Madrid having played one game more than Diego Simeone's charges. 

They will return to action on Tuesday away to Valladolid in their final game before a mini-break for Christmas.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is adamant his players are ''absolutely still fighting' after a 2-1 defeat to Everton on Saturday, which intensified the Gunners' on-field crisis. 

Arteta's men went to Goodison Park without a win in their previous six Premier League outings, a run which has seen them plummet down the standings. 

And there was to be no improvement on Merseyside as the Gunners went down once again. 

Everton took the lead after 22 minutes when Arsenal captain Rob Holding deflected the ball past Bernd Leno. 

And while Nicolas Pepe levelled from the penalty spot, Yerry Mina appeared on the stroke of half-time to restored the Toffees' lead, which despite Arsenal's best efforts they maintained until full-time. 

The north Londoners could now fall as low as 16th by the end of the weekend, while a win for Burnley on Monday would leave them perilously close to the relegation zone over Christmas. 

But despite this latest setback, Arteta insisted that his squad were showing the necessary commitment to end their run of bad results.

"Without conceding much we lost the game on two key moments," the manager explained to Sky Sports after the final whistle.

"We reacted really well. We dominated the game. We created enough chances at least to not lose. We hit the bar. We don’t have the luck.

"We are in a big fight. We lost against Burnley without them having a shot on target, and now we lose because of a couple of chances.

"It’s really difficult when you play a team who are defending low and wasting time. We make it difficult for ourselves conceding the first goal.

"I think we had 15 shots but only two on target. We need to improve our rate, that’s the reality.

"We need to generate more to win football matches. When it comes to small details, the other team wants it more.

"The boys are absolutely still fighting. They’re hurt right now."

Arsenal are back in action on Boxing Day, when they host Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium before they face Brighton and then West Brom away from home during the festive period.

Timo Werner admits “it does matter how much you cost”, with the Chelsea striker looking to embrace the pressure of a £47.5 million ($64m) price tag rather than shy away from it.

The Blues spent big on a proven goalscorer over the summer, with rival interest from the likes of Liverpool fended off in order to bring the Germany international onto their books.

Werner’s prolific strike rate at RB Leipzig suggested that Frank Lampard had landed a frontman capable of spearheading a title charge at Stamford Bridge.

The 24-year-old has hit eight goals for his new club, but has failed to find the target in his last eight appearances across all competitions.

Questions are being asked of his end product, with some big chances being squandered, but Werner has vowed to live up to expectations in west London.

He told Chelsea’s official website heading into a derby date with West Ham on Monday: “It does matter how much you cost.

“It’s always a bit of pressure when you come to a new club and you want to score by your own but now you also want to score for your new team-mates, for your club.

“You have to score and the pressure you have in every new club, but I think I can handle it very well because I got the same pressure at my old club and everybody wanted me to score. It’s not something new to me but now it’s a new ground from where I’ve been so it's new people and new players around me.

“So the pressure is a little bit higher than the last years but I think good footballers are the best under pressure and that’s my plan, I can do very well under pressure.”

Werner is still finding his feet in new surroundings, but he can call upon the full support of his manager and believes a spark will be rediscovered once fully adjusted to the demands of life in England.

He added, having hit 95 goals in 159 outings for Leipzig: “The Premier League is a little bit different to my old league that I used to play in. I have to say it’s tougher than I thought. The contact here is harder than in Germany, it’s what I expected but not like this.

“I think it’s also hard when you play every three days and the Champions League and internationals and you have to play on Saturday against teams that can rest the whole week and think only about the game against you. It makes it not easy to be the best in every game but the Premier League is very fun to play in.

“The beginning was very good, now a little bit after a lot of games I don’t know if it’s normal but I’m struggling a little bit.

“There are lot of games at the moment and I think there’s some chances that I’ve missed two or three weeks ago that were not the best thing, but I think when you are new to a country and league it’s always a little bit hard to adapt and it should be no excuse. I should try to do my best to be the best footballer that I can be in this league and I think I’ll adapt well.”

Ronald Koeman has put Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Valencia down to a lack of concentration from his players, rather than a problem with their attitude.

Barca were held at Camp Nou in Saturday's entertaining La Liga clash and are now eight points adrift of Atletico Madrid having played a game more than the leaders.

Mouctar Diakhaby scored a free header to give Valencia the lead – a joint-high fourth league goal Barca have conceded from a corner this term along with Huesca – but Lionel Messi equalised and young defender Ronald Araujo put the hosts in front.

Maxi Gomez profited from yet more slack defending 21 minutes from time to score against the Catalan giants for a fourth game running, however, as Valencia became the seventh team to stop their opponents winning in 13 games this term.

Koeman did not want to blame any individuals following this latest setback but conceded his side switched off too easily for Valencia's goals.

"It was a difficult game. We fought back but have to be more focused," he told Movistar . "We had chances but weren't focused on some other actions, and the opponents defended well.

"We made more of an effort in the second half to win the game but didn't create as many chances as we wanted. It was an irregular game from us; we lost balls in areas that were dangerous.

"I don't think it was to do with an attitude problem. There was an irregularity to the whole game. We lost balls and doubted ourselves.

"We also know we have problems with set-pieces. You have to get above your opponent, but we have smaller players."

Barca had won their previous two matches, against Levante and Real Sociedad, but now face a massive battle in chasing down Atletico and the rest of the title challengers.

"We would have liked to have won all of the games," Koeman said. "The problem is not today's draw but that we lost four or five other games and that's why this draw seems worse.

"There are a lot of points left [to be won]. It's a very tough season. In two months, everything could be different. We have to fight to make up the points difference."

Koeman made one change from the 2-1 victory over Sociedad, bringing in Philippe Coutinho for Frenkie de Jong in what was an attack-minded starting line-up featuring Messi, Martin Braithwaite, Pedri, Antoine Griezmann and Coutinho.

Sergio Busquets, the sole holding midfielder, picked up a knock and was replaced by De Jong at half-time.

Explaining his team selection, Koeman said: "Frenkie had discomfort in training yesterday and we couldn't risk him from the beginning, according to the doctors.

"We had to leave him on the bench until the break. I changed things around and brought off Busquets, but not because he was having a bad game."

Messi's goal was his 643rd for Barcelona, taking him level with Santos great Pele for the number scored for a single club.

The Argentina international managed 10 shots in total and had a penalty saved by Jaume Domenech, but he headed in from two yards in the aftermath to bring up his landmark goal.

"We know all about his impressive career," Koeman said. "It is another very good achievement."

However, Valencia head coach Javi Gracia questioned whether a penalty should have been awarded for Jose Gaya's perceived push on Griezmann with Valencia a goal ahead at the time.

The referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez initially showed Gaya a red card before downgrading that to a yellow after checking the pitchside monitor, but Gracia feels the spot-kick should also have been rescinded at a pivotal moment in a tight game.

"Justice does not exist in football," he said. "It is always difficult to assess the referee's performance. The goal just before half-time did us a lot of damage. 

"But the team's personality was clear to see again. I am proud of my players."

Christy Ucheibe found the back of the net and Jolina Amani continued her fine goalscoring form for SL Benfica as they defeated Estoril Praia 2-0 in Saturday's Portuguese Liga BPI encounter.

Cape Verde-born Netherlands youth international Amani, who had contributed three goals in seven outings for Benfica this season, ensured her team's ended the year 2020 on a high at Estoril.

On her part, Nigeria youth international midfielder Ucheibe had scored twice in seven appearances this season and went on to inspire her side to a seventh victory of the season.

Smarting from their Women's Champions League Round of 32 elimination at the hands of Chelsea, Benfica put up a fine show to bounce back to winning ways thanks to the Africans.

The visitors made a fine start to the encounter when Amani almost opened the scoring for the Eagles but her goal-bound brilliant effort was blocked by the hosts' defence in the 16th minute. 

Having ended the first half in a stalemate, Benfica broke the deadlock when Catarina Amado raced into Estoril's box before setting up Uchiebe to put her side in front in the 64th minute.

Despite their slim lead, Luis Andrade's team continued with their ruthless attack and were rewarded with the second when Amani fired past goalkeeper Isabel Peixeiro nine minutes from full time.

The victory keeps SL Benfica in second position on the southern region table of the Liga BPI, with 21 points from eight matches this term.

Ucheibe lasted for the duration of the match, getting her second goal in eight matches for SL Benfica, while Amani featured for 85 minutes, netting her fourth goal of the season in eight outings.

After the win, SL Benfica will immediately embark on a Christmas break and expected to regroup on December 29 ahead of the first match of the year 2021 against CL Benfica on January 3. 

Southampton head into the busy festive period with an injury doubt over star striker Danny Ings who limped out of the loss to Manchester City with a hamstring problem.

Former Liverpool, Burnley and Bournemouth forward Ings pulled up shortly before half-time and following a medical assessment, he was deemed unfit to carry on.

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl confirmed the problem to be with Ings' hamstring, and given the forward’s history with injuries, the club will take no chances with his fitness.

“It’s a hamstring problem,” Hasenhuttl told the club’s official website following the 1-0 loss to City. “I’m not sure how much, but it’s clear we were taking a risk with another game for 90 minutes when he has played twice in the week after the long injury, so we hope it’s not too bad.”

Southampton have a seven-day break before they face Fulham on Boxing Day, and Hasenhuttl will hope the break allows Ings to rest and recuperate.

It is the latest setback for the 28-year-old who missed over a month earlier in the season after picking up a knee injury against Aston Villa.

Saints pushed Pep Guardiola’s City hard at St Mary’s, and Hasenhuttl was pleased with everything apart from the final ball.

“I think it was a better game from our side than in the summer when we won 1-0 [against Man City],” Hasenhuttl said. “Today we played better.

“We were braver and had a lot of pressure on them, but what was lacking today was the quality in the final third, with the final passes and final chances.

“We had a few good ones, but it was always a few inches away or where their defender was aware of the area, so it was tough to score.

"I think we did the maximum we can do. It was our third game in a week, and we had one day less to recover, and the effort the guys put into the second half was unbelievable really.

“We kept them a very long away from the goal, but you cannot do it all the time so they had a few chances, but this is normal.

“It’s amazing what we play at the moment and how we play. It’s always controlled and in the second half they were really defending their own box for a long time and although we didn’t find a way through, this was the highest level we can play at the moment.”

Southampton sit in fifth in the table and following the clash with Fulham, they close out the year with a home game against West Ham.

This is the view of former Amakhosi and Bafana Bafana midfield playmaker Siyabonga Nkosi.

The hosts had come out firing at the start of the game and went in front after only seven minutes through an Anthony Agay header.

Then having squandered first half chances to add to their tally, Chiefs conceded an equaliser midway through the second stanza and were unable to muster much of a response after that.

The goal saw two of Celtic’s substitutes combining as Ryan de Jongh chipped in a delicate pass to Tumelo Mangweni, who delightfully controlled the ball before slamming home a volley past Daniel Akpeyi.

Mangweni and de Jongh as well as Tuemlo Njoti and Sera Motebang, had all come on at the start of the second half as Maduka played nearly all of his cards at once.

“You know, that bold decision at half time, to make four substitutions, from your own trusted starting line-up - and you bring them on to affect a game of this nature, where other coaches could have said, ‘let’s play out for a good 15 minutes, give these guys a chance to see now if they can up their game’,” Nkosi said during the post-match discussion in the SuperSport studio.

“Because in the first half I thought they (Celtic) were very lethargic. The only change was not in terms of tactics, but these four guys came in with better energy, prepared to get on the ball, better quality on the ball as well.”

The match was a third in a week for Phunya Sele Sele after they lost to Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 final last weekend and then beat Baroka FC 2-0 on Wednesday night, which emphasises why Maduka’s four subs helped re-energise his team.

Celtic next play on Wednesday – at home against Nigerian side Rivers FC in the Caf Confederation Cup.

Chiefs are in the same competition and they take on Angolan outfit 1 de Agosto, also at home on Wednesday.