Crazy stat alert: we out-passed Manchester City on Saturday.

No, I'm not grasping at straws. And yes, one can easily nuance that point away (weather stunk so the passes were short and 'easy', we were chasing the game, City was more than willing to play 10 men behind the ball), but still, the stat remains: we out-passed City, the team that almost attempted 1000 passes in a game.

Carroll celebrates with Bellamy and Henderson...Liverpool put three past a lacklustre Wolves side yesterday at a freezing cold Molineux. Andy Carroll got himself on the score sheet whilst Wolves struggled to find a goalscorer at all. The win moved Liverpool into 5th in the table.
Wolves had less worries than originally thought injury wise as Frimpong ended up being able to start in midfield for McCarthy's side.

It's been awhile since I trawled through the Guardian chalkboards for interesting items. I know, we all missed it.
I remain convinced that Liverpool changed tact in midfield during the interval. The key seemed to be Spearing, more willing to stay in his own half and shield the defense rather than pressing higher up the pitch and leaving gaps.

It has been an up and down season for Juventus striker Alessandro Matri. There have been times where it seems that every time he touches the ball it ends up in the back of the net while at other times there have long absences of his name on the score sheet. When he is hot, he has been praised uncontrollably, even once being compared as the next David Trezeguet.

Goals:
Carroll 52'
Bellamy 61'
Kuyt 78'
The result implies dominance, and Liverpool were fairly dominant throughout, but 3-0 did not look likely at half-time.
Sure, had Liverpool taken one of their multiple first half chances, most notably from Kuyt in the third minute, or had Anthony Taylor given Adam an absolutely dead certain penalty in the 35th, the side might have strolled to victory sooner.

I'd love for Carroll to score in this one...Liverpool travel to my hometown of Wolverhampton on Tuesday night as they prepare to face Wolves in the Premier League. Liverpool are on a massive high after knocking both Manchester City and Manchester United out of the League and FA Cup, but can the Reds compose themselves in exactly the sort of fixture that has caused them to stumble in the league?

You can argue that everything Barca does these days is being scrutinized or subject to unfair criticism. But it's hard to deny the club's latest tribute to a journalist who passed away and spent his life reporting on the club. That's affectionate dedication for you!

Last week prior to the club's normal press conference, first-team players Xavi, Puyol, Valdés and Iniesta along with Pep Guardiola observed a silent tribute to Dani Montesinos, who formerly worked for Spanish TV and Barca TV.

Will Gerrard get on the score sheet again Wednesday night?...Manchester City travel to Anfield on Wednesday night for the second leg of the Carling Cup tie between the two sides. With Liverpool holding the slight advantage, the game is perfectly poised for an exciting clash and the winner is off to Wembley.

Chelsea once again failed to maintain any consistency in their performance as they only managed a draw against Norwich City, despite controlling the match and created more chances especially in the second half but their inability to finish off their chances cost them two points.

The club's ineffectiveness in front of goal once again being noted by the Blues' manager, Andre Villas-Boas, as the cause of their current inability to stay close with the top three teams in the league.

Written by Double98

Robin van Persie, the balon d'or snubbed, true king of world football, has been reeling in the plaudits for his exceptional scoring feats in 2011. By eclipsing Thierry Henry's mark of 34 goals in a calendar year, and particularly by playing in a less competitive and more transitional team, he has booked himself a seat in the waiting room of the Pantheon of Arsenal Greats.

The KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup) clash between Ajax Amsterdam and AZ Alkmaar, which was suspended due to an attack on AZ keeper Esteban Alvarado in the initial encounter, was completed today in the Amsterdam ArenA with the home side going down to a 3-2 defeat.

Siem de Jong gave Ajax the lead as early as the 10th minute only for the visitors to restore parity fourteen minutes later through Maarten Martins.

This afternoon is a must win game for Chelsea and it really is as simple as that. We cannot afford to drop points over the next few weeks as we need to try and close the gap to the sides above us now in the league.
AVB and his Chelsea players have a job on their hands this afternoon as a rejuvenated Sunderland side under new man-manager Martin O'Neill travel to the Bridge with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Fernando Torres, Chelsea's No. 10.

The Spaniard again failed to find the score sheet, but provided the necessary creativity that resulted in a late torrent of goals and a largely flattering 4-0 victory over visiting Portsmouth in the third round of the FA Cup. We weren't anywhere near our best, but we'll take it.

Don't see Tim Howard's name on the score sheet too often. Perhaps never.

First of all I should start this piece by wishing everybody a happy new year! I've been enjoying myself over the Christmas holiday and have neglected the blog over the last few days so I need to rectify this, starting off with a piece regarding the new Emperor's Cup winners in Japan.

FC Tokyo have done an unlikely league and cup double in Japan following their 4-2 triumph over Kyoto Sanga in last Sunday's Emperor's Cup final.

It's not everyday that you get to see Lionel Messi crying but Barcelona's official photographer Miguel Ruiz managed to capture this image of the Argentinean maestro during a private moment in the dressing room. This was snapped after Barcelona's defeat to Real Madrid in the 2011 Copa del Ray final, where some ugly scenes took place on the pitch.

By JOEY SAMUEL

In a match where both teams needed three points, London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea each had to settle for one as they played to a 1-1 draw. Emmanuel Adebayor scored to put Spurs up in the 8th minute, only for Chelsea to equalize through Daniel Sturridge fifteen minutes later.

Being continuously close in getting a goal for his new team but still can't find the back of the net as just yet apparently frustrated Liverpool's Stewart Downing a bit as he can't seem to figure when will he finally have his shot not hitting the bar.

The former Aston Villa man, who arrived at Anfield for quite a lot of sum this summer, admitted his frustration but he vowed not to give up in trying as he believes his getting closer to open his account with the Reds.

Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick got on the score sheet as Manchester United delivered a great performance to seal a comfortable 2-0 win at QPR. United were superior in every department and could have easily had five or six, such was the gulf in quality between Fergie's men and the West London outfit.

Kashiwa Reysol's FIFA Club World Cup dream ended today at the hands of South American champions Santos FC. Neymar was amongst the goals for the Brazilians as they claimed a 3-1 win against the J-League champions whilst earlier in the day North and Central American champions Monterrey CF won the 5th/6th place play-off, getting the better of African champions Espérance Tunis by the odd goal in five.

The South Asian Football Championship has been taking place in India since the beginning of December. The biannual event retained its recent trend of seeing the Indian national team win the championship this time defeating Afghanistan in yesterday's final by four goals to nil.

In the early stages of the tournament Afghanistan had the early advantage over India with both teams meeting each other in Group A, along with Sri Lanka and Bhutan, and the Afghans finishing top of the group on goal difference.

Karim Benzema's record making goal was not enough to keep Madrid's impressive home record intact as Los Blancos suffered a 3-1 home defeat to arch rivals Barcelona last night.

The win saw the Catalans pip Madrid into first place although both clubs remain level on 37 points.

Barcelona midfielder Xavi has claimed that Barca are far superior to Real Madrid after Pep Guardiola's men grabbed a 3-1 win in the season's first El Clasico. Xavi was one of three Barcelona players on the score sheet as the champions came from a goal down to topple Real Madrid 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu [.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Editor's note: At the end of the 2010 season, we posted a series of season reviews of every Philadelphia Union player. Over the next several weeks PSP continues with a review of the 2011 season.

After an uneven 2010 season, Danny Califf was a player reborn in the Union's second season.

It didn't come as a surprise. Jeonbuk Motors led the K-league from early in the season and were the best team for most of it. Choi Kang-hee's men should have won the Asian title too but had to make do with the domestic title to add to the 2009 crown.
The inevitable came to pass on December 4 in the second leg of the Championship play-off final against Ulsan Horangi.

Jozy Altidore got on the score sheet on what was otherwise a tough game for AZ. Altidore's club lost 5-1 to Heerenveen, ending an 11-game unbeaten streak. Altidore scored in the 20th minute to level the score at 1-1, but Heerenveen would be up a goal by halftime and scored three more in the second-half.

Robin Van Persie was again on the score sheet as Arsenal beat Wigan 4-0 yesterday, he was also instumental in the other goals.

Grab your Premier League Kits at Bizrate

Robin Van Persie was again on the score sheet as Arsenal beat Wigan 4-0 yesterday, he was also instumental in the other goals.

Grab your Premier League Kits at Bizrate

Recent trips to Wigan have been eventful but the memories aren't particularly pleasant for Gooners. Arsenal have dropped 5 points in the last two visits after conceding late goals in games that the Gunners dominated and should have won.

I hope the dominance continues but the 'Be a Gooner, be a Giver' mantra is not taken on to the field.

After several disappointing results, finally Chelsea's fans have something to cheer about after their team picked up a pretty convincing 3-0 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league.

The Blues' summer singing, Juan Mata, became the team's main influence in the game as he bagged two assist and a goal which helped regaining some confidence for Andre Villas-Boas' side after three straight defeats.

Reds On A Run But So Are City

I expect to see some antics from him on Sunday... Manchester City make the short trip to Anfield on Sunday for what is set to be an exciting fixture between the two sides. Liverpool are coming off the back of a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge whilst Manchester City can boast an unbeaten run in the league.

I expect to see some antics from him on Sunday...Manchester City make the short trip to Anfield on Sunday for what is set to be an exciting fixture between the two sides. Liverpool are coming off the back of a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge whilst Manchester City can boast an unbeaten run in the league.

Having been the laughing stock of world football for many years, the tiny Pacific nation of American Samoa is just one step away from progressing beyond the first stage of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying following a good start to their campaign.

Rock bottom of the FIFA World Rankings over the last few years and having failed to win a single competitive match for 17 years, American Samoa began their first stage campaign on Tuesday by defeating Tonga by two goals to one with Ramin Ott and Shalom Luani getting on the score sheet.

The United States picked up a road win in Europe on Tuesday, beating Slovenia 3-2 at the Stozice Stadium in Ljubljana. In cold and foggy conditions, the United States came out in a 442 with Jozy Altidore partnering with Edson Buddle. Both players would end up on the score sheet before halftime. Buddle opened the scoring in the 9th minute, with Slovenia equalizing in the 26th.

1. We will see a starting lineup very similar to the one used against France. The only differences will be Michael Orozco Fiscal for Clarence Goodson (please see prediction #3 vs. France) and DaMarcus Beasley for Danny Williams.

Former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has mocked England by suggesting that the only way the Three Lions could score against his Spain side was from a set piece and that the visitors dominated throughout the 90 minutes at Wembley on Saturday evening.

World champions Spain lost 1-0 after Frank Lampard got at the end of a free-kick sequence to nod home the only goal of the match.

On a day when England manager Fabio Capello missed his son's wedding to be on the touchline for the visit of World Champions Spain, Frank Lampard rose to the occasion and scored the decisive goal to guide the Lions to a famous 1-0 win.

It was a hard-fought match at Wembley, with both teams playing with a lot of energy over the course of the 90 minutes.

There are no excuses as far as I am concerned with the result last night. It's two points dropped, another stupid goal conceded and plenty of missed opportunities for Chelsea last night and the result isn't acceptable really is it!.
It doesn't matter what side we put out on that pitch last night, we have the quality to have got the job done but time and time again we allowed Genk time and space on the ball it cost us.

Arsene Wenger admits that he is in awe of the terrific form of his captain Robin van Persie and believes that the Dutchman is finally using his class to distinguish himself as one of the finest in the league.

Van Persie's proneness to injuries has prevented him from reaching his highest potential in recent years but after inheriting the armband, he has been simply unstoppable.

Here we go again... new rides for these futbolitos! Last Friday, Real Madrid attended an Audi go-karting event where they all pretended to be Formula 1 drivers. This week, it's the Rossoneri's turn to carry out their marketing duties, where they received new cars with customized front plates.