AC Milan players influenced ref to disallow goal – Allegri

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said AC Milan players influenced the referees to disallow his side’s goal in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at the San Siro.
The outcome could have been different after a first-half free kick from Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic was controversially disallowed for what looked a tight offside call, having initially been given by the officials.
And Allegri suggested the officials would have let the goal stand if not for the remonstrations of the Milan players.
“They did well to score and we were unlucky,” Allegri told Mediaset Premium. “We played well on a technical level and we had scored, but it was disallowed.

Boro could have beaten Arsenal if not for Cech – Karanka

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka was disappointed his team could not come away with a win after holding Arsenal to a goalless draw on Saturday.
Boro had a number of great chances to steal a win, and Karanka admitted he was pleased with their performance against the Premier League leaders.
“I think we could have won the game, but Petr Cech was the best player for Arsenal and we did a

‘Special one’ status depends on winning trophies – Mourinho

Jose Mourinho admits he will not be considered the “special one” if he fails to win any trophies with Manchester United.
The Portuguese, who signed a contract tying him to United until 2020 in May after replacing Louis van Gaal, proclaimed himself the “special one” when he arrived in England for his first stint as Chelsea boss over a decade ago.
Now, speaking ahead of his return to Stamford Bridge as United manager on Sunday, Mourinho concedes that Red Devils fans will not view him as anything out of the ordinary if he is unable to deliver any success to Old Trafford in the next three years.
He told several national newspapers: “Connections start before titles are won but it is success that brings empathy between the supporters and managers and makes that connection become

Tottenham’s Sissoko could face elbow ban – Murphy

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Moussa Sissoko could face a retrospective Football Association ban for elbowing Bournemouth’s Harry Arter, says ex-England international Danny Murphy.
Sissoko caught Arter in the second half of Saturday’s 0-0 draw, apologising to the Cherries midfielder afterwards.
“He said it was an accident. I’m happy to take that as gospel,” said Arter.
Match of the Day analyst Murphy said: “Sissoko is going to get done for that whether he meant to or not.”
He added: “I don’t know what he was thinking. It looks awful.”

Alaba won’t be sold to Manchester City – Rummenigge

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge dismissed reports linking David Alaba with a move to Manchester City on Saturday.
Reports on Monday said Alaba could be reunited with Pep Guardiola after Manchester City

Valencia slam ‘lamentable’ referee in Barca loss

Valencia's Tunisian defender Aymen Abdennour (L) tackles Barcelona's Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez during the Spanish league football match Valencia CF vs FC Barcelona at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on October 22, 2016.AFP/Jose Jordan

Valencia’s sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch railed against the “absolutely lamentable” display of the referee after Barcelona snatched a controversial 3-2 win at Mestalla on Saturday.
Lionel Messi converted a 94th-minute penalty in a bad-tempered match overshadowed by a serious knee injury to Barca’s Andres Iniesta.
Valencia are likely to face action from La Liga authorities after Neymar was struck by a plastic bottle thrown from the crowd as the Barca players celebrated the winner.
However, Valencia were incensed that Barca’s opener was allowed to stand despite claims for offside and the home side were angered further when referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco didn’t send off Sergio Busquets before half time.

Ahmed Musa scores first goal for Leicester City

Ahmed Musa scored his long-awaited first goal for Leicester City as his side trounced Crystal Palace 3-1 at the King Power Stadium, England on Saturday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the English Premier League (EPL) match played in front of 31,969 spectators saw Musa open scoring in the 42nd minute.
Algerian Islam Slimani played a one-two with Shinji Okazaki before providing the assist for Musa who riffled home from 20 yards to put Leicester in front.
Leicester dominated possession in the second half as Okazaki made it 2-0 in the 64th, while, Christian Fuchs added a third from a superb volley in the 80th minute.
Musa was replaced by Demarai Gray in a tactical substitution in the 81st minute as Coach Claudio Ranieri looked to preserve the 3-0 lead.
The visitors however piled on the pressure and got a consolation goal in the 85th minute through

Enyimba’s Mfon Udoh honoured by CAF nomination

All-time record scorer of the Nigeria league Mfon Udoh has said he is deeply honoured to be listed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for Best Player of 2016 award for players plying their trade in Africa.
The Enyimba striker netted nine times in this year’s CAF Champions League and said he will be

Klopp keen to get Gerrard back to Anfield

Jurgen Klopp will hold talks with former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard after the 36-year-old midfielder appeared to announce his departure from the LA Galaxy at the end of the current Major League Soccer season.
Gerrard’s comments are bound to fuel speculation that the highly popular Liverpudlian could return to play for the club he first represented 18 years ago and for whom he made over 500 appearances.
Klopp has previously indicated that such a possibility would not be realistic for the veteran although, following Saturday’s 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion, the Liverpool manager declined to explain exactly what role could await a player who also made 114 England appearances in one of the most successful careers of the modern football era.