Kane maintains Spurs' taste for the late

This weekend threw up some intriguing facts and figures, including Tottenham Hotspur's continued penchant for a late goal, Jose Mourinho laying his Villa Park hex to rest and a best ever winning streak on the road for in-form Southampton. For all the key stats from Matchweek 24 read on.

Sunday 8 February

Burnley 2-2 West Bromwich Albion  |  #BURWBA  |  Preview and stats >>

• This match was the 19th 2-2 draw in the Barclays Premier League this season, already two more than in the whole of 2013-14.
• This was the first BPL encounter to see four headed goals since Arsenal v Fulham in November 2012 and the 18th to see four or more headed goals.
• This was the first time all goals in a match of four or more were scored with the head since September 1999 (Wimbledon v Derby County).
• Danny Ings has scored in four of his last five league appearances for Burnley.

Newcastle United 1-1 Stoke City  |  #NEWSTK  |  Preview and stats >>

• Peter Crouch scored his 44th headed goal in the Barclays Premier League; only Alan Shearer (46) and Dion Dublin (45) have more.
• This was Crouch's 93rd goalin the competition, taking him clear of Mark Viduka and Kevin Phillips in the list of leading BPL scorers.
• Stoke recorded 58.3% of possession in this match, their second highest figure in a league away match.
• Newcastle have not kept a clean sheet in their last six BPL home matches. They have one clean sheet in their last 12 in the league overall.

West Ham United 1-1 Manchester United  |  #WHUMUN  |  Preview and stats >>

• Cheikhou Kouyate's goal was the first to be conceded by Manchester United away from home (any competition) in 407 minutes.
• Marcos Rojo made 14 clearances; only in one match this season has a Man Utd player recorded more (Chris Smalling v Arsenal, 15).
• Man Utd have not come back to win a Barclays Premier League match since David Moyes was manager (4-1 vs Aston Villa).
• Wayne Rooney has not hit a shot on target in the league in 2015.

Saturday 7 February

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Arsenal  |  #TOTARS  |  Report and more stats >>

• Tottenham Hotspur have lost just one of their last seven Barclays Premier League home matches against Arsenal (W4 D2 L1).
• Harry Kane scored his 22nd goal of the season in all competitions, more than any other BPL player.
• There have now been 131 goals scored in this fixture. No BPL fixture has seen as many (Chelsea v Spurs and Liverpool v Newcastle have seen 130 goals).
• Spurs have won 12 points from goals scored in the final five minutes of league matches this season; twice as many as any other side.

Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea   |  #AVLCHE  |  Report and more stats >>

• Eden Hazard has had a hand in eight goals (4 goals, 4 assists) in his last nine Barclays Premier League appearances.
• Aston Villa scored their first league goal in 659 minutes: the fourth-worst run without a goal in BPL history.
• Jose Mourinho has won his first league match at Villa Park (D3 L2). The only top-flight ground he has not won at are Emirates Stadium and St James Park.
• Aston Villa have won just one of their last 10 league matches at Villa Park (W1 D4 L5).

Leicester City 0-1 Crystal Palace   |  #LEICRY  |  Report and more stats >>

• Crystal Palace scored their 13th Barclays Premier League goal from a set-piece situation in this match; no side has netted more.
• The Eagles have won more points in their four BPL matches under Alan Pardew (nine) than they had in their previous 11 (eight).
• Leicester City have won just one of their last nine BPL home matches (W1 D2 L6).
• Palace have lost just one of their last seven league away matches (W2 D4 L1).

Manchester City 1-1 Hull City   |  #MCIHUL   |  Report and more stats >>

• Man City have won just seven points in their last six Barclays Premier League matches (W1 D4 L1), this after winning their previous seven in a row.
• City have gone four BPL matches without a win for the first time since November 2009.
• James Milner ended a 36-match run without a league goal in this match.
• Hull City have lost five points from opposition goals scored in the final minute of BPL matches this season, more than any other side.

Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Southampton   |  #QPRSOU  |  Report and more stats >>

• Sadio Mane has scored four in his last five Barclays Premier League matches.
• Southampton have now won four consecutive BPL away matches for the first time ever.
• Ronald Koeman's side have scored in seven of their last eight league fixtures.
• Queens Park Rangers are without a win in seven BPL matches, drawing two and losing five.

Swansea City 1-1 Sunderland  |  #SWASUN  |  Report and more stats >>

• Jermain Defoe has now scored at least one Barclays Premier League goal against every current top-flight side.
• Ki Sung-yueng has netted four goals in the BPL this season, one more than he managed in his two previous top-tier campaigns.
• Sunderland have thrown away 14 points from leading positions this season, a figure only Everton and Swansea City can 'better'.
• Swansea have scored exactly one goal in nine of their last 10 league matches, failing to find the net in the other match in that run.

Everton 0-0 Liverpool   |  #EVELIV  |  Report and more stats >>

• Everton did not attempt a shot on target in this match until Seamus Coleman's strike in the 87th minute.
• Brendan Rodgers won his 184th point in what was his 10oth Barclays Premier League match in charge of Liverpool. The only Liverpool manager to have won more points in his opening 100 BPL matches in charge of the club was Rafael Benitez (186).
• Five of the last six BPL Merseyside derbies have ended in a draw.
• Everton have scored just seven goals in their last 10 league encounters.

Nigel Pearson remains Leicester City boss despite speculations of sack

Leicester City have NOT sacked manager Nigel Pearson, the club have confirmed.

A 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday had left the Foxes bottom of the Premier League table, four points from safety, while an incident with Eagles midfielder James McArthur saw Pearson come under scrutiny.

But, despite strong speculation from several media organisations, Leicester have insisted he still remains in charge.

A statement on the club’s official website said: “Leicester City Football Club would like to clarify its position relative to its manager, Nigel Pearson.

“Contrary to media speculation on Sunday evening, Nigel remains the Club’s First Team Manager. Reports to the contrary are inaccurate and without foundation.

“Nigel, his staff and the first team squad are entirely focused on Tuesday night’s trip to Arsenal and our continued efforts to secure our position in the Barclays Premier League.”

West Ham couldn't cope with Utd direct ball

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Sam Allardyce was left rueing Manchester United’s direct tactics as he watched his West Ham side draw 1-1 with the Red Devils.

The Hammers, who were by far the better team on the day, went ahead at Upton Park when Cheikhou Kouyate fired home following some excellent work in a crowded penalty area.

But two minutes into added time Daley Blind struck as Allardyce’ men failed to clear a ball into their box and the 60-year-old put the leveller down to Louis van Gaal’s switch in tactics.

“In the end we couldn’t cope with long ball Man United,” said the frustrated boss. “They just kept punting it into Marouane Fellaini and in the end it paid off for them.

“People say that West Ham play direct but I’ve never seen Manchester United play that direct.”

England squad strength boosts World Cup hopes claim Lancaster

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England head coach Stuart Lancaster believes their World Cup chances have been boosted after several fringe stars helped them beat Wales in the Six Nations.

Injuries to key players had left the Red Rose side far from full strength but stars like Jonathan Joseph, who scored for England in the 21-16 victory, proved Lancaster has strength in depth.

And he feels, should his group not pick up anymore injuries, they could find themselves in an excellent position ahead of the World Cup later in the year.

“To win World Cups you need 31 players,” he told Full Contact. “There are very few teams who go through a World Cup with the same starting 15 or same 23 on a week-to-week basis over a seven week World Cup. You want a strong squad with two high quality players in every position.

“Taking James Haskell as an example along with Tom Wood; Tom Wood was brilliant for us against Australia and has played exceptionally for Northampton since but a bit of an ankle injury saw James Haskell come in and he had a great game. It’s a great position to be in.”

And Lancaster has revealed he is unlikely to make too many changes to the side which defeated Wales as they face Italy on Saturday.

He added: “We have got one or two players coming back in but I don’t think there will be too many changes on the back of that performance.

“You want to give the lads that played well another opportunity to build up on that performance and back it up.”

Daley Blind strike salvage a point for Utd

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Daley Blind stole a point for Manchester United as his late volley saw them snatch a 1-1 draw with West Ham United.

It had looked like the hosts had boosted their top four hopes by dispatching a clueless Red Devils side but their Dutch midfielder, more renowned for his disciplined ball-playing, came to the rescue as he steered a poor clearance beyond Adrian from the edge of the area.

Van Gaal’s men, who fall to fourth position after the weekend’s action, struggled to find any kind of rhythm in east London, while Wayne Rooney’s anonymity in a midfield role may force them to change tactics.

But they somehow claimed a share of the spoils, which will infuriate Sam Allardyce, who’s Hammers deserved plenty of praise for a performance which proved beyond doubt they have added class and guile to their game.

West Ham’s defensive injury issues led Allardyce to play Cheikhou Kouyate at cente-back and the Sengalese star showed he was a more than capable stand in after five minutes when he clipped the ball off Robin van Persie’s toe and out for a corner.

Enner Valencia, who remained with the Hammers despite reported interest from Chelsea in January, then twice tested David De Gea, forcing the Spaniard into two good, if fairly comfortable, saves.

And later the Ecuadorian nearly put through spritely strike partner Diafra Sakho, only to see Antonio Valencia scamper across and steal the ball away from his feet.  

Alex Song has been a delightful loan signing for the Hammers, and was imperious again in east London, but as the hosts upped the pressure on a listless Man United side he skewed a volley well wide when placed to do much better.  

The Red Devils attempted to get at their opponents but with strike star Radamel Falcao forced to pick up the ball on the flanks it nullified his attacking threat and it was only an Angel di Maria strike from range which truly tested West Ham shot-stopper Adrian.  

But just three minutes into the second half the Hammers grabbed a well deserved lead as Kouyate, in a crowded penalty area, brilliantly juggled the ball on the turn before firing a volley in home past a helpless De Gea.  

A riposte seemed unlikely, especially when Falcao tried his luck from 25 yards and succeeded in finding the travelling support in the Trevor Brooking Stand rather than the target, but gradually Van Gaal’s side found their feet. 

 Luke Shaw’s menacing sorties down the left flank gave Carl Jenkinson something to think about, while Rooney, who was again subdued in his midfield berth, began to see more of the ball. 

 But Arsenal loanee Jenkinson gave United a fright just after the hour when his cross-cum-shot, on the counter, whistled a whisker past the post, while at the other end an Adnan Januzaj volley nearly made it into the top tier. 

 Sakho, more so than Valencia, was the scourge of the Red Devils’ backline in the second period and he left marker Rojo flat on his face as the pair tussled for the ball as his hunger to double the Hammers’ lead told.  

With 20 minutes to go Dutch boss Van Gaal threw Marouane Fellaini into the fray as he looked to go direct in his quest for an equaliser, but Falcao, when put through excellent by Van Persie, proceeded to scuff a fine one-on-one chance wide. 

 Adrian then superbly stuck a foot out to deny Dutch striker Van Persie who seemed odds-on to slam home a Falcao pass, while Belgian star Fellaini also saw a strike well saved.  

Their pressure, in the end, told and when Jenkinson attempted to head clear two minutes into added time, Blind flashed the ball into the bottom corner to hand Manchester United an undeserved leveller.

Meanwhile, in the game’s dying embers there was also a second yellow card for Shaw as he tried to halt a cantering Stewart Downing on the counter

Pakistan spinner Ajmal cleared to return to international cricket

Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal is free to return to international cricket after tests cleared his remodelled bowling action.

Ajmal has been unable to pull on a Pakistan shirt since last August after his action was reported by umpires during a Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle.

But, after undergoing a second round of testing on his action in Chennai last month, the 37-year-old has been given the green light by the International Cricket Council to resume an international career that has netted him 441 wickets across all formats.

Crucially, all of Ajmal's deliveries passed the ICC testing. When he was last tested in Brisbane six months ago, shortly after being reported, it was found that he illegally straightened his arm by more than 15 degrees in all of his deliveries.

Bangladesh's Sohag Gazi was also cleared by the ICC to make his return in a statement that read: "The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed that following remedial work and retests, the bowling actions of Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal and Sohag Gazi of Bangladesh have been found to be legal, and the players can now resume bowling in international cricket.  

"At the retests, it was revealed that the amount of elbow extensions in both the off-spinners' bowling actions for all their deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC

regulations for the review of bowlers reported with suspected illegal bowling actions."

Ajmal remains unable to play at the upcoming World Cup, however, with Pakistan having already submitted their 15-man squad.

The spinner's only hope of playing at the tournament, which begins on February 14, would be if a member of Pakistan's squad was to suffer injury. Even then, any inclusion would need to be approved by the ICC's event technical committee.

Ajmal's clearance is nonetheless an important step forward for a bowler who has remained at the top of the ICC's one-day international bowling rankings during his absence. 

Pakistan will now hope for similar news over all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who is due to undergo testing on his action in Brisbane next week Hafeez has been included in Pakistan's World Cup squad as a batsman but, should his action also pass the testing, he could resume bowling his off-spin at the tournament.

France 15-8 Scotland: Scots continue winless run as hosts claim narrow win

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Scotland could not end their 16-year wait for a win in Paris despite Dougie Fife scoring the only try as they went down 15-8 to France in their Six Nations opener.

Camille Lopez proved to be the match-winner with five penalties - three in the first half and two after the break.

The Scots countered with a Greig Laidlaw kick before Fife's touchdown on the stroke of half-time.

But when the skipper hit the woodwork with his conversion attempt, the hosts clung on to a slender half-time lead and did not give the Dark Blues a sniff from then on in.

There was barely a minute on the clock when Cowan gifted the hosts an early penalty, with Lopez scoring with the help of a post, but the Scots did not look fazed by the mistake and dug in to repel a couple of French surges.

Russell settled well, selling Lopez a lovely dummy, while Richie Gray took the initiative with some decent carries before a collapsed scrum allowed skipper Greig Laidlaw to level things with the Dark Blues' opening penalty.

Les Bleus - or Les Rouges as they have been dubbed - immediately swarmed back up field from the kick-off to score another penalty, but the Dark Blue response was first class.

They muscled up field and, after pushing to within a yard of the whitewash, kept their composure to feed the ball wide for Mike Bennett and then Euan Murray, who kept it simple as he made sure Fife dived over in the corner

France clung on for a slender 9-8 half-time lead, however, as Laidlaw's conversion hit the upright. 

The hosts steadied themselves as the game restarted and were able to extend their lead when Scotland's try scorer suffered a rush of blood to the head. 

Fife tried and failed to keep Lopez's kick for touch in and after slumping to his backside petulantly threw the ball away. Welsh referee Nigel Owens was not amused - neither was Fife as Lopez 

nailed the penalty given against him.

Scotland hopes of overhauling the four-point deficit were hit, though, when they lost Johnnie Beattie to the sin-bin with just under 20 minutes left.

The Castres number eight was punished for clattering into the side of a ruck as France pressed into the Scots' 22, and it was the last thing Cotter's team needed as they chased a historic win in the French capital.

Another Lopez penalty then put daylight between the teams and ensured Scotland would have to wait until the summer - when they return in World Cup warm-up action - to put right their Parisian track record.

Rodgers hail youngstars after Merseyside derby

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers praised the composure of his young players in the heat of a Merseyside derby which failed to fully ignite at Goodison Park.

Reds boss Rodgers made a big call to name young winger Jordon Ibe in the starting line-up, but the youngster’s man-of-the-match performance proved it to be a correct one.

The 19-year-old, on only his second Premier Leaguestart, hit the post with a brilliant 25-yard effort following a sizzling run.

But that was the closest either side came to a goal in a 0-0 draw which lacked attacking quality, with Evertonlanding their first shot on target in the 86th minute when Seamus Coleman forced Simon Mignolet to save.

Ibe, who was recalled from a loan spell at Derby last month, was the shining light in a poor match and Rodgers was full of praise for the starlet, as well as ‘Rolls Royce’ midfielder-cum-defender Emre Can who again impressed at the back.

"I have been just waiting to put him in,” the Reds boss said of Ibe. “I called him back because I thought now he can really contribute.

"He had a great spell on loan, which is what you want from your young players, and he had a good time at a good club but it was time for him to come back and feature.

"I had no qualms about putting him in. He's a big talent, he's got great technical quality and it was a brilliant performance by him. He was unfortunate not to have scored with his run and strike.

"He has wonderful temperament and technique and is tactically very good for a kid coming into that system. I am very pleased for him.

"What was decent tonight was in such an intense atmosphere the composure of the young players.

"Emre Can, he was like a Rolls Royce at the back at 21 and he defended fantastically.

"Jordon Ibe and the rest showed great composure. They connected the game really well and we now have got a real solid structure defensively and 86 minutes was (Everton's) first shot on target."

Aside from a disappointing derby clash, another downside for Liverpool was the early loss of midfielder Lucas Leiva to a thigh problem, which is likely to keep the Brazilian out for a while.

Mourinho: Chelsea lead at the top means nothing to the title race

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has claimed his side’s seven point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League counts for nothing.
The Blues clinched a scrappy 2-1 win against Aston Villa on Saturday, while Manuel Pellegrini’s side dropped two points at home to Hull City.
But Mourinho insisted there are still too many points to play for throughout the rest of the season, adding he was not surprised to hear about the Citizens defeat against the relegation-threatened Tigers.
“In another country I would say it's fantastic, in this country I would say it's nothing,” said Mourinho “Every game is difficult, anything can happen. It's very, very difficult.
“Seven points means seven points, we have 14 matches to go. We are speaking about 42 points to play for and in 42 we have a lead of seven. I think it's nothing.”
He added: "I'm surprised by nothing. In this country every team can take points so I am not surprised. I didn't care about it. Somebody told me after the game and that was it. Before the game I was not worried and during the game and I didn't imagine the result.
"When you are top of the league you don't need other teams to lose points. If they lose, good, but if they don't it's not a problem. We have to focus on ourselves. If we win the next game we have a seven-point lead with 13 matches to go. Let's try to go step by step."

Piers Morgan: Wenger is finished bring in Jurgen Klopp

Outspoken Arsenal fan Piers Morgan believes Arsene Wenger’s time has come as Gunners boss and has called for the club to target Jurgen Klopp as his replacement now, or risk losing him to a rival.

The man-of-many-opinions joined talkSPORT for an exclusive chat following his beloved side’s north London derby defeat to Tottenham, where a brace from Harry Kane – who he claimed wouldn’t even get a place on Arsenal’s bench – sealed a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane.

Having ended their long hunt for silverware with FA Cup glory last term, Arsenal seemed to be on the rise with an impressive performance against defending champions Manchester City last month.

But, with the loss to fierce rivals Spurs seeing them slip out of the top four, Morgan believes their performances have been over-hyped; insisting the club need a fresh outlook following 18 years with 65-year-old Wenger at the helm, with the Borussia Dortmund boss his perfect man to fill the role.

“My view is that Wenger has had more than enough time,” Morgan told Call Collymore.

“Which top four club in the world would keep a manager who had won one second-tier domestic trophy in ten years? To me this is completely unacceptable.

“Our recent form has been exaggerated. We had a very good performance against Manchester City away, but I was at Southampton when we got hammered on New Year ’s Day and our record against the top four or five teams over the last few years has been absolutely terrible...shocking.

“We’re sixth in the league, we’re out of the League Cup and yes, we’re still in the FA Cup, but the big yardstick for a team like Arsenal always should be the Premier League, and we have absolutely no hope of winning the league, yet again, for the tenth year running, and we’re only in February!

 “So I simply say to Arsenal fans who disagree with me: At what point of failure do we say, ‘this is not good enough’, and we try someone else?”

When asked who that man might be, Morgan added: 

"I will stand by the person I have been calling for a couple of years, and that it Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund.

 “He took a team that was really struggling and he’s won the Bundesliga title twice in the last five years against a Bayern Munich team many believe is one of the all-time great teams.

“He’s dynamic, passionate, the fans and players love him and he’s 20 years younger than Wenger. We need to give someone like him the chance to come in and I believe he would be brilliant for us.

 “If we don’t get him right now, when there’s a very real chance to get him, he will end up at another big club and do brilliantly for them.” 

No Merseyside derby farewell for Gerrard

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Steven Gerrard’s final Premier League Merseyside derby ended in a frustrating stalemate at Goodison Park.

There was a huge amount of build-up, as there always is ahead of this fixture, over the Reds captain’s final chance to hurt the Toffees before moving Stateside in the summer.

But this time around the famous clash failed to live up to the hype, as both sides lacked quality in the final third to really punish their opponents.

Liverpool youngster Jordon Ibe, who was a surprise name on Brendan Rodger’s starting line-up, came closest to a goal; the 19-year-old really unlucky to see his long-range effort clatter the post in the first-half.

Everton were second-best in the first 45 but came to life after the break, with the introduction of deadline day arrival Aaron Lennon giving Roberto Martinez’s side an added spark.

Seamus Coleman forced a save from Simon Mignolet with the Toffees' only shot on target as they piled on the pressure in the closing stages, but their red rivals stood firm – with German midfielder-come-defender Emre Can particularly impressive – and the sides eventually had to settle for a point apiece.

Gerrard would have been looking to add to his prolific form against Liverpool’s bitterest of rivals in his last derby clash before moving to LA Galaxy at the end of the season.

The skipper had ten goals in 32 appearances against Everton – only Reds legend Ian Rush had more – including Liverpool’s goal to seal a 1-1 draw when the sides last met in the top flight in September.

But he was ominously quiet throughout this game, going closest to a goal with an acrobatic volley which was deflected narrowly over the bar. 

Liverpool looked the more likely team to score in an entertaining, though largely uneventful, opening half; 19-year-old Ibe cutting in from the right after a mazy run and letting fly from 25 yards, with his shot beating the stretching Joel Robles but nicking the outside of the far left post.

 Romelu Lukaku was the focus of most of Everton’s attacking moves, with his team-mates always looking to hit him with long balls forward and crosses from wide, but the out-of-form frontman, who has scored just two goals ten Premier League games, continued his struggles.

 Lennon’s 60th minute introduction gave Everton some added attacking zip which saw Liverpool looking nervous for the first time in the game, though the hosts were often let down by their final ball.

 Everton have just two wins in their last 14 games in all competitions and that record told as their forward surges left them open on the counter, though Liverpool, too, struggled to muster that clinical touch in and around the box. 

Rodgers looked to fit-again striker Daniel Sturridge to give his side a boost off the bench, though the England international failed to really make a telling impact in a frantic end to the game.

If there was going to be a late winner, it was going to be a blue one, as Lukaku troubled Can with a number of dangerous runs down the left channel, but the German did well to shut out the striker.

Coleman then went close to a last-gasp goal following a neat through-ball from substitute Ross Barkley, though the full-back’s angled shot was straight at Mignolet.

A point each was perhaps the fair result, though there is little doubt Liverpool are sitting more comfortable just four points adrift of the top four, while Everton remain in 12th place.