Raheem Sterling scored twice as Manchester City battled to a 3-1 victory at Oxford United to reach the semi-finals of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Joao Cancelo s first City goal opening the scoring midway through the first half, goalkeeper Jordan Archer wrongfooted by a deflection off helpless defender Elliott Moore.
League One side Oxford hit back just after the break, Matty Taylor taking his goal brilliantly to restore a short-lived parity, but Sterling captain for the night tucked in Angelino s left-wing centre to put the holders back in front.
Sterling struck again to seal a spot in the last four, with Pep Guardiola s assistant Mikel Arteta on the City bench amid reports the former Arsenal midfielder is set to succeed Unai Emery at Emirates Stadium.
Oxf…
Paris Saint-Germain boss Christophe Galtier is not remotely surprised by the stunning start to the season his side have made.
The Ligue 1 champions thumped Lille 7-1 at the Stade Pierre Mauroy on Sunday thanks to a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick, a brace from Neymar and a strike from Lionel Messi.
Mbappe s first came after just eight seconds, which was the fastest goal in Ligue 1 since Opta started recording data for the competition in 2006-07.
The result means PSG have scored 17 goals in three Ligue 1 games this season. Only Rennes in 1950-51 (18) have found the back of the net more often at the same point.
3 Paris are the first team in Ligue 1 history to score at least three goals in six consecutive away games. Deluge.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean)
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Southampton have announced the signing of attacking midfielder Sofiane Boufal from Lille for an undisclosed club-record fee.
The 22-year-old Morocco international, who has agreed a five-year deal at St Mary s Stadium, made 35 appearances for Lille last term, netting 12 times and adding a further four assists across all competitions, becoming one of the most highly-rated young players in Ligue 1 in the process.
And the playmaker, who arrived at Lille from Angers in 2015, has now become Claude Puel s sixth signing at Southampton as the Frenchman looks to build on their sixth-placed finish under Ronald Koeman last season.
Addressing his switch to English football, Boufal said in a statement: I m very, very happy to sign for Southampton and I am really excited to …
Tottenham s Dutch striker Vincent Janssen is hoping to emulate the success of countryman Ruud van Nistelrooy in the Premier League.
Van Nistelrooy earned cult status at Manchester United, after scoring 95 goals in 150 Premier League appearances.
The former Netherlands international won the Premier League during his time at Old Trafford, as well as the FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield.
And while it is early days in England, Janssen an off-season recruit from AZ Alkmaar would like to follow in the footsteps of Van Nistelrooy, who was born in the same Dutch province North Brabant.
In England they are just finding out that me and Van Nistelrooy are from the same area, Janssen said in quotes attributed to Dutch newspaper AD.
But I wouldn t s…
Porto could be boosted by the return of defender Alex Sandro as they begin their UEFA Champions League campaign against BATE.
Julen Lopetegui s men host the Belarusian outfit in what will be their 200th fixture in Europe s premier club competition.
The hosts will be expected to claim a straightforward victory at Estadio do Dragao and confidence is likely to have been heightened by the return of Sandro, who has become a mainstay at left-back for the Portuguese club in recent seasons, to training.
Sandro had been out of action since the 2-0 victory over Lille in the second leg of the play-off round last month due to a thigh problem but, while his prospective comeback is good news for Lopetegui, Porto s Spanish coach still has plenty of injury troubles to contend wi…
Barcelona have agreed a deal for Portugal international and Valencia midfielder Andre Gomes.
Gomes has spent two seasons in LaLiga following his move from Benfica in July 2014.
The 22-year-old played a part as Portugal claimed a fairytale Euro 2016 success with their final win over France.
Reports suggest Barcelona paid €40million for Gomes, who made 30 appearances and scored three goals in the league last season.
[BREAKING NEWS] Agreement with Valencia CF for André Gomes
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
A 13-time Portugal international, Gomes was apparently also a target for Barca s fierce rivals Real Madrid.
He is set to become the latest signing for Luis Enrique in the transfer window, with the head coach having added the l…
Stevan Jovetic has accepted Fiorentina fans may be disappointed he has left Florence but believes he will win titles with Manchester City.
Fiorentina announced the sale of Jovetic to Manchester City on Thursday for a reported figure of £22million with the 2011/12 English Premier League champions snaring the Montenegrin forward and Spain international Alvaro Negredo on the same day.
Jovetic was keen to stress he thoroughly enjoyed his five seasons with Fiorentina and conceded the club s fans might be disappointed he has left the Serie A outfit.
But the 23-year-old said he could not ignore the opportunity to play for Manchester City alongside former Partizan Belgrade team-mate Matija Nastasic.
I m still young and want a change of scenery, Jovetic said.
City …
Blackpool winger Tom Ince is confident that he made the right call in turning down a move to Cardiff City.
The 21-year-old was the subject of a bid reported to be in the region of £8million from the Premier League newcomers, but decided to stay at the Championship club to be nearer his newborn child.
And the England Under-21 international has no regrets about rejecting the chance to play in the top flight.
Another new season is fast approaching, and it looks increasingly like I ll be starting it in the Championship, rather than the Barclays Premier League, Ince wrote in a column for The Daily Mail.
No complaints from me on that score, despite some people feeling I may have taken a gamble by turning down the chance to sign for newly promoted Cardiff City.
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Mathieu Valbuena has announced he will definitely be staying at Marseille this season.
The 24-year-old French midfielder had been linked with possible moves to Liverpool and Atletico Madrid over the summer.
But he has announced: I just really want to stay. It should be pointed out this club really value me and make me want to do great things for them.
The diminutive Valbuena is happy to be part of the competition for places at Marseille.
It s always been like this with (Franck) Ribery, Samir Nasri or even Eric Gerets, he recalled.
Whether I am here or somewhere else, it s always going to be like that.
Mathieu began his career playing with FC Girondins de Bordeaux, but was released due to his small stature.
However, subsequen…
Roberto Martinez has issued a hands-off warning to Chelsea as the Premier League champions pursue Everton defender John Stones.
It is reported that Chelsea made a bid for the 21-year-old England centre-half on Thursday that Everton swiftly rejected.
And Martinez wants the matter to end there, declaring: He is an Everton player. Full stop.
Speaking after Saturday s 3-1 Asia Trophy final loss to Arsenal, the Spanish manager said: First of all, we pride ourselves in playing a certain way and educating our young players in a manner that means they are always going to get attention from elsewhere.
That is a compliment, a footballing compliment.
The other side is the disappointment in seeing a football club making it [the bid for Stones] so open…