YYer actual Keith Telly Topping's beloved (though unsellable) Newcastle United pulled off a stunning comeback against Everton to edge closer to Premier League safety. Trailing two-nil at the break, Rafa The Gaffer's side went on to win three-two thanks to two late goals from Ayoze Peréz and a quality strike from Salomón Rondón. The result lifted The Magpies into thirteenth place in the Premier League with thirty four points and eight games left to play this season. The victory was particularly timely given that three of the clubs below United at the start of the day - Cardiff, Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albinos - also won of Saturday. However, the game's biggest talking point was a first-half foul by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on Rondón. The former Mackem Filth goalkeeper - who wasn't even booked by Bolton official Lee Mason - saved Matt Ritchie's subsequent penalty and seem to really enjoy childishly sticking his tongue out to the Magpies fans afterwards like he was so clever. Everton, already leading through a Calvert-Lewin goal, went two-nil up soon afterwards through a strike from Richarlison. However, spurred on by a sense of righteous injustice - just as they had been in another famous come-from-behind victory against Sheikh Yer Man City a few weeks ago - United fought back superbly after the break and claimed all three points whilst Pickford was left to slink off the pitch at the end, his tongue firmly stuffed inside his big gob. Newcastle made a promising start, but they didn't test Pickford before Everton got their eighteenth-minute breakthrough. Lucas Digne delivered a ball from the left which was headed past Martin Dúbravka by Calvert-Lewin from close range. The game's big moment of controversy came in the twenty ninth minute when Pickford crudely brought down Rondón after spilling a shot from Ritchie. Mason pointed to the spot but the official, inexplicably, did not send off Pickford or, indeed, even yellow card him.
Pickford, off his line, inevitably stopped Ritchie's penalty and Everton promptly went up the other end and were two ahead less than a minute later. Dúbravka palmed a low cross from the right to Richarlison and he tapped the ball home from close range. Mason further angered United fans before the break with several further highly debatable decisions and he left the pitch to a chorus of boos, chants of 'you're not fit to referee' and, some even less complimentary queries about the state of his parents relationship at the time of his birth. Ironically, however, Mason's decision to leave Pickford on the pitch ultimately worked hugely in United's favour as the blundering keeper made some right howlers in the second-half to aid the Black & Whites fabulous fightback. Benitez replaced Jamal Lascelles, booked for a shoulder barge on Richarlison late in the first half, with Paul Dummett for the second half, the team reverting to a four-three-three system. Rondón went close with an effort early in the half, but the striker didn't miss in the sixty fifth minute after playing a one-two with Peréz. Rondón volleyed the return past Pickford for his ninth goal of the season. Rafa, not normally a man prone to exaggeration, compared Pérez's pass to Lionel Messi and Rondón's finish to Alan Shearer. 'Once we scored,' Benítez said, 'everyone started believing we could score again.' Benitez sent on Kenedy for the last seventeen minutes and Jonjo Shelvey, making his comeback from injury, followed him shortly afterwards. Peréz levelled with an eighty first-minute shot after the once again highly impressive Miguel Almirón had a shot saved. The forward capped a stellar performance when he scored a close-range winner three minutes later after Everton failed to clear a corner and Isaac Hayden found Rondón who set up Peréz to score. The strike, Peréz's sixth league goal of the season, almost lifted the roof off at a rocking St James's Park and there were gleeful chants of 'dodgy keeper' aimed at pantomime villain Pickford as he ruefully picked the ball out of his net with a face like a smacked arse. Which, to be fair, was funny. The Toffees faded badly in the face of Newcastle's second-half onslaught and are now only three points in front of Benitez's side on thirty seven points.
Police are reported to be investigating complaints made by Cardiff City football club in the wake of the death of Argentinian striker Emiliano Sala. It follows claims in a Sunday newspaper that the club has accused the former sports agent Willie McKay of 'making threats' against Cardiff officials. McKay's son, Mark, was Nantes' acting agent in the deal for the footballer, who died in a plane crash last month. McKay denies the allegations. The Sunday Torygraph reported that the alleged threats were made on the weekend of Sala's funeral in Argentina last month. In a brief statement, a police spokeswoman said: 'South Wales Police can confirm that a complaint has been received from Cardiff City Football Club and is currently being investigated.' The club said it had been 'necessary and appropriate for South Wales Police to be engaged on the matter. We will not be commenting further at this time,' added a club official. Last week, McKay told the BBC that he felt Sala was 'abandoned' by Cardiff City and had to arrange his own travel following his fifteen million knicker transfer from Nantes. The body of the twenty eight-year-old was found in the wreckage of the Piper Malibu light aircraft in the English Channel on 4 February, after the plane disappeared near Guernsey on 21 January. The pilot, David Ibbotson, is still missing and his body has not been found. It emerged on Saturday that Ibbotson had dropped out of training for his commercial pilot's licence before it was completed. He was not licensed to carry paying passengers, which has led to speculation that the flight was illegal. An interim report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch on Monday said that Ibbotson held a private licence in the UK and the US, meaning he could not carry paying passengers within the EU, other than on a cost-sharing basis. But McKay, who commissioned the fight for Sala, told the BBC last week that the trip was not on a cost-sharing arrangement. The AAIB's investigation into the fatal crash is continuing, including examining the validity of the pilot's licence.
Pep Guardiola claims that Sheikh Yer Man City's critics are 'pushing' to 'find a reason' to 'punish' them, as the club is investigated by football's authorities. UEFA launched an investigation on Thursday in response to a series of claims made against the club by the German publication Der Spiegel. On Friday, the Premier League said that it was 'looking at' City's academy recruitment and financial matters. 'People press and push to find something wrong,' Guardiola whinged. Speaking before the Premier League announced its investigation, the Spaniard added: 'They want to underestimate what you achieve. I am not too concerned or worried about what people say if we win the title because what happens now with UEFA, they don't give us any credit for what we have done, believe me. I don't care. Absolutely zero.' In fact, it would appear, he doesn't care so much he used a press conference to tell everybody how much he doesn't care. Der Spiegel has published a series of claims, based on leaked documents, that league champions City have violated FFP rules. The publication also claims Sheikh Yer Man City made 'a banned payment' of two hundred thousand knicker to Jadon Sancho's agent when the England winger was but fourteen years old. 'The Premier League has previously contacted Manchester City to request information regarding recent allegations and is in ongoing dialogue with the club,' a Premier League statement read. 'The league has detailed financial regulations and strong rules in the areas of academy player recruitment and third-party ownership. We are currently investigating these matters and will allow Manchester City every opportunity to explain the context and detail surrounding them.' This season they have been investigated by the Premier League, UEFA, FIFA - over allegations they broke third-party ownership rules - and the Football Association, over the claims relating to a payment to Sancho's agent. Sheikh Yer Man City claim the allegations are 'entirely false.' One or two people even believed them. Guardiola is adamant the investigations will not tarnish his achievements at City, which include winning last season's Premier League with the highest number of points and goals. He said: 'If we have made mistakes we will be punished - it is what it is on and off the pitch - but I am pretty sure what we have done is incredible. I trust what the club has done a lot because I know them but hopefully it can solves as soon as possible.' Sheikh Yer Man City are competing for the quadruple of trophies this season as they remain in the chase for the league title, FA Cup and Champions League - after already claiming the Carabao Cup in February.
Moscow Chelski FC say that they are 'astonished' after their request to freeze a transfer ban while they appeal was denied. Because, obviously, Moscow Chelski FC - like, it would appear, Shiekh Yer Man City - believe that the rules which apply to all football clubs, do not apply to them. The Blues have been extremely banned from registering any new players until January 2020 for breaking rules over the signing of foreign under-eighteen players. The Premier League club deny any wrongdoing and have appealed against the decision. But FIFA - for once showing a bit of backbone when dealing with a club with more money than God - says it has denied measures which would see the transfer ban frozen during the appeal process. Moscow Chelski FC were charged after FIFA said it found breaches in twenty nine cases of ninety two investigated, including that of striker Bertrand Traore, now at Lyon. The Blues have also been fined four hundred and sixty grand, while the Football Association has been fined three hundred and ninety thousand smackers for letting them get away with it. In previous cases, involving Spanish clubs, FIFA has relaxed the measures so transfer bans were not enforced during the appeal process. 'Chelsea Football Club is astonished by the FIFA appeal committee's decision not to suspend its sanction pending completion of the appeal process,' read a shocked an stunned statement. 'So far as the club is aware, in all previous cases where a registration ban has been imposed by FIFA, a decision has also been made to suspend the sanction until the appeal process has been completed. In this case, Chelsea considers that it is being treated inconsistently in comparison with other European clubs.' The ban, which covers two transfer windows, does not prevent the release of players and will not apply to the club's women's and futsal teams. It was first reported in September 2017 that Moscow Chelski FC were being extremely investigated. Based on documents from Football Leaks, French website Mediapart claimed in November 2018 that nineteen Moscow Chelski FC signings had been 'looked at' during a three-year investigation and that fourteen of those signings were of players under the age of eighteen. Burkina Faso international Traore signed his first professional contract at Moscow Chelski FC in 2013, at the age of eighteen, but was not registered until January 2014. That deal, it is alleged by Mediapart, was for four-and-a-half years, despite the limit for under-eighteens being three years. In addition, it is claimed that Moscow Chelski FC paid for Traore to attend the twenty thousand quid-a-year Whitgift School in Surrey. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid both received bans for breaching rules over the signing of minors in early 2016 and fellow Spanish club Barcelona were given a fourteen-month ban after breaking rules for signing international under-eighteens in 2014. However, a Barcelona appeal saw their punishment pushed back a year, allowing the club to sign Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Jeremy Mathieu, Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
West Hamsters United midfielder Robert Snodgrass has been charged with allegedly abusing anti-doping officials, the Football Association has said. The alleged incident allegedly took place at the Hamsters' training ground on 6 February. The thirty one-year-old Scotland international, who faces a one-match ban and an eight thousand smackers fine, has until 18 March to respond to the charge. BBC Sport suggested Snodgrass was not scheduled to be tested, nor did he refuse to take a test. 'Robert Snodgrass has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3(1),' the FA said in a statement on Monday. 'It is alleged the player used abusive and/or insulting words towards UK anti-doping officials who were visiting West Ham United's training ground on 6 February 2019 to conduct out-of-competition testing.' Snodgrass has played thirty two times for West Hamsters this season, scoring four goals in all competitions.
Twelve fans have been given football banning orders after 'mass disorder' broke out during a derby game. Thousands of pounds of damage was caused to Port Vale's stadium when they played Dirty Stoke's Under-Twenty Ones on 4 December, Staffordshire Police said. More than one hundred and fifty officers were deployed to Vale Park as seats, toilets and windows were broken in the away stand and a geet rive on with kids gettin' sparked and aal sorts. Chief Superintendent Wayne Jones said at the time tat his officers had faced 'shocking levels of hostility.' The twelve men were banned from attending all football games for three years - even a kick-about in the local park - after being extremely convicted at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Tuesday for throwing missiles onto a football playing area. The force said there was 'mass disorder before, during and after' the Checkatrade Trophy tie where Vale beat Dirty Stoke four-nil. It had been the first Potteries derby since February 2002 and almost four thousand Stoke fans swelled the attendance to seven thousand nine hundred. Some fans had tried to set fire to a toilet block and officers had to use protective helmets and riot shields. Detective Inspector Steve Ward said: 'Since the fixture my team of detectives have been working hard to identify and locate all those responsible for the behaviour that resulted in thousands of pounds of damage at Vale Park. Violence and disorder at sporting fixtures will never be tolerated and the banning orders will go some way to preventing such behaviour in future.'
'Raging and furious' Hibernian chief executive Leeann Dempster said that 'nothing is off the table' after Glasgow Rangers captain James Tavernier was 'confronted' by a fan at Easter Road. The supporter attempted to kick the ball away from Tavernier as he moved to pick it up to take a throw in. The two then laid hands on each other before the fan was led away by police. Police Scotland confirmed that a twenty one-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the incident - and, presumably, given a damned good kicking down the cells. It comes just six days after Scott Sinclair was almost struck by a glass bottle thrown from the crowd at Easter Road during Glasgow Celtic's Scottish Cup quarter-final win. An irate Dempster told BBC Radio Scotland that the fan would be banned for life and that she will personally apologise to Tavernier. 'They've embarrassed this club tonight again, it's completely and utterly unacceptable,' she said. 'What are we going to be talking about tomorrow? What is going to be on the back pages of the paper? What are you going to be asking me about? You're going to be asking me about this utter idiot. There is a big debate, a healthy debate going on in the Scottish game. But I'm going to bring it back to personal responsibility. Who thought it was okay to come in here with a glass bottle and throw it? Who thinks it's alright to jump over an advertising hoarding? Ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of the people in here don't think it's okay and we ought to remember not to tarnish these guys as well. This individual will be banned for life. He's in custody at the minute and that's where he should remain as far as I'm concerned. This person and people like him are going to feel the full weight of what we, and hopefully Police Scotland, can deliver.'
His career has never followed a traditional path and now ex-Linfield striker Paul Munster has swapped India for the Pacific Islands as he continues his global football odyssey. The thirty seven-year-old from Belfast, whose playing and coaching career has included spells in Canada, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Germany, has been appointed the national team manager of Vanuatu. It's about a thousand miles East of Australia if you're geographically challenged. Currently one hundred and sixty third in the FIFA world rankings and with a population of roughly two hundred and seventy six thousand - slightly less less than that of their new manager's home city - it is, perhaps, unsurprising that Vanuatu was not previously on Munster's managerial radar. 'To be honest, I had to do a search on Google to find out exactly where the country is,' Munster admits. So, if you are geographically challenged, don't worry about it, you're not alone it would seem. 'When I saw the job was available and did some research, I really liked the look of it. There were over one hundred and eighty applicants for the position and I had to do two Skype interviews with the Vanuatu Football Federation, who are very ambitious. They have given me a totally free rein to do the job my own way and, as I'm also in charge of the under-twenty three and under-twenty teams, I can really put my own stamp on things.' Munster took the Vanuatu job soon after resigning as head coach and technical director of Indian top-flight club Minerva Punjab FC, where he won two trophies during seven months in charge. He has wasted little time in getting to work on researching players and is very clear about the key targets in his new role. 'I see this as a three-year project with the biggest aim being qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar,' the former Slavia Prague forward explained. 'It's something the country has never done before so I realise the size of the task, but other smaller countries have done it so you have to believe it can happen. I want to increase our FIFA ranking to one hundred and fifty or higher and, in the shorter term, we have the Nations Cup to look forward to after a few friendlies in June. Our under-twenty threes will also have the qualifiers for the 2020 Olympics starting soon. I've watched lots of videos to assess the squad and we have some decent players. Eight or nine of the panel play outside Vanuatu, in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, while I also plan to introduce a few new faces.' After resigning from Minerva Punjab in February, Munster had returned to live in Sweden - where he had been a player and coach - and it was from here that he made the nine thousand-mile journey to the South Pacific. He is unfazed by the travelling and has found it easier to settle in his new surroundings than he did in India, where his dislike of spicy food was, he claims, a major challenge. 'I think once you've lived in India, you can live anywhere,' Munster said. 'My girlfriend and I are living in a lovely villa with a pool, which is just a five-minute walk from the national stadium in Port Vila. The weather is great and I've already had lots of friends getting in contact asking if they can come and stay with us. I've never been afraid to take on new challenges, such as this one. I see them as an opportunity rather than a risk and, when you consider I'm an international manager at the age of thirty seven, that's not too bad at all.' While he is a long way from home, Munster aims to instil what he describes as 'a Northern Ireland mentality' into his new players. 'Developing an "us against the world" ethos has helped the Northern Ireland team punch above their weight and that's what I want to do with Vanuatu.'
Brendan Rodgers' wife and stepdaughter are believed to have been inside his East Dunbartonshire home when it was broken into. The BBC reports that Charlotte Searle and her six-year-old daughter hid as burglars ransacked the property and stole some of the family's possessions. Police confirmed that the Bearsden home of the former Glasgow Celtic manager was broken into on Wednesday morning. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: 'At around 1:55am on Wednesday 6 March, police received a report of a break-in at a property in Bearsden. No one was injured in the incident but a number of items were stolen from the property.' Police added that an investigation had begun and 'inquiries were ongoing.' Rodgers was appointed Leicester City's new manager at the end of February after leaving his job at Celtic.
