Arsene Wenger stars in Arsenal's attempt at the 'Dizzy Goals' challenge

Arsenal are the latest club to take part in the 'Dizzy Goals' challenge.

Billed as the footballing equivalent of the ice bucket challenge, participants have to spin around a ball 13 times before attempting to take a penalty - all in support of the Save the Children charity.

Footballing luminaries such as Michael Owen and Gary Lineker have already had a crack at the challenge with predictably amusing results - but Arsenal's latest effort is arguably the most entertaining yet.
First up is Mikael Arteta, whose limited game time this season clearly hasn't hampered his ability to put away a penalty, as the Spanish midfielder manages to slot his spot-kick home in impressive fashion.

Theo Walcott does nothing to defy accusations that he is a largely clumsy winger with a comic tumble before he even manages to reach the penalty spot.Fortunately Theo's blushes are saved by an incredible cameo from Arsene Wenger - ably assisted by Gunnersaurus.

After a sluggish circuit around the ball, the Arsenal manager pushes the Arsenal mascot aside to show him it's done...

Cristiano Ronaldo buys $18.5m Trump Tower apartment

Cristiano Ronaldo has completed the purchase of an $18.5million (£11.8m) flat in New York that was reportedly the inspiration behind the novel '50 Shades of Grey'.

The big-money property is in 'Trump Tower' owned by US tycoon and presidential candidate Donald Trump, on Fifth Avenue in the Big Apple.

The news has again fuelled the rumours that Ronaldo wants to play in the US before he retires.

A move to LA Galaxy was touted by Sports Illustrated when Ronaldo's Real Madrid contract expires in 2018, while nascent franchise LAFC are known to be "obsessed" with his signing.

But his newest purchase may make the ears of the hierarchies at New York City FC and New York Red Bulls prick up.

A security guard and a doorman outside Trump Tower

Living room: Almost every single room has superb views of New York

Dining room: Mind you don't get vertigo

Kitchen: It's not very big for that kind of money

Office: You'd probably spend a lot of time staring out that window

The flat was bought from Italian real-estate mogul Alessandro Proto, a partner of Trump.

And it was Proto's old apartment, the New York Post reports, that was the inspiration for sex-obsessed sadist Christian Grey in the novel 50 Shades of Grey, written by E.L. James.

The Real Madrid star's new pad is spread out over 2,509 square feet and features views of Central Park.

Plush: The hallway in Ronaldo's new flat

TV room: This is where he'll, er..

Bathroom: Plenty of mirrors - perfect for Cristiano

Bedroom: This is where the magic happens

Sunderland transfers: Jermain Defoe says he is being played out of position by struggling club

Cat fanciers? Any club interested in Defoe faces taking on his £80k a week wages

Striker is convinced he can lift rock-bottom Black Cats up the table if he's moved from current wide role - and says his future is in their hands

Jermain Defoe insists he still has more to offer the Premier League - if he is played as a central striker.

The Sunderland forward is unhappy at being shunted out wide at the Stadium of Light, and unsettled in the North-East.

He has been linked with promoted Bournemouth - where he had a record-setting spell on loan from West Ham as a teenager 14 years ago.

Defoe said: “It goes without saying that I still feel that I’ve got more to offer, but I need that to be up front - in the position I know best.

“I still feel that I’ve got more years in me. I’m fit, I don’t drink, don’t smoke, I like to stay professional and I love the game.

Sunderland 1-3 Norwich:

“You never know happens in the transfer window, so it's not for me to talk about my future. The club decides that, not me.”

He said: “If the club don’t agree to it, then no player goes anywhere.

"You only have to look at a player like Morgan Schneiderlin last year - everybody knows that he wanted to go to Manchester United, but Southampton wanted to keep him until it suited them and now [this summer] he has gone.”

Sunderland are bottom of the Premier League after losing both their opening games, against Leicester and Norwich, while conceding seven goals - and face in-form Swansea at home on Saturday.

The Black Cats would want any clubs interested in taking Defoe off their hands just eight months after signing him from MLS side Toronto to pay all of his £80,000-a-week wages.

Defoe, 32, believes he would be able to lift ailing Sunderland off the bottom of the table if he is played in the position from which he has scored more than 200 times in his career for West Ham, Portsmouth, Tottenham and England, as well as Bournemouth, Toronto and Sunderland.

“All I want to do is play in the position where I know that I can do best. That is up front scoring goals," said the former England international, who did net in the Leicester defeat.

“I will always do what I can to help the team but I want to do even more so that we are not in a position where things get even harder for us.”

How Chelsea pulled off dramatic hijack of Barcelona's Pedro

Exclusive: While Man Utd haggled with Barca, Chelsea put 'Operation Pedro' into practice, with Mourinho and Fabregas both speaking with forward directly

Chelsea's dramatic Pedro heist that has left rivals Manchester United red-faced was masterminded by manager Jose Mourinho, director Marina Granovskaia, Cesc Fabregas and the midfielder’s girlfriend Daniella Semaan.

Pedro is poised to complete a £22million move to Chelsea after flying to London on Wednesday to complete a medical, just two days after United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward had travelled to Barcelona to try to close a deal for the forward.

The transfers United missed out on under Ed Woodward

But while Woodward was haggling with Barcelona, Chelsea were putting ‘Operation Pedro’ into practice with Granovskaia conducting discreet negotiations with the Spanish club and, with the permission of Barca, Mourinho and Fabregas both speaking with the forward directly.

With Mourinho and Fabregas working on Pedro, Semaan made contact with the Spaniard’s wife, Carolina Martin, about moving to London.

Fabregas is good friends with Pedro from their time together at Barcelona and the Spanish national team, while Semaan also knows Martin well.

Between them, Mourinho, Granovskaia, Fabregas and Semaan managed to clinch a deal with Barca and convince Pedro to forget about United and agree to move to Stamford Bridge.

Six reasons Chelsea were so desperate for Pedro

By the time Woodward and United denied there had been problems over the fee and claimed that the club had ended their interest in Pedro because of doubts from manager Louis van Gaal, the 28-year-old was already on a flight to London to undergo his Blues medical.

Spanish sources also claim that United’s bid ran into trouble because of Van Gaal’s fall-out with Pedro’s former Barca team-mate Victor Valdes, who has been frozen out at Old Trafford.

Hristo Stoichkov urged Pedro not to joined United and play for his former Barca manager Van Gaal, claiming the Dutchman was “mediocre” and somebody who “destroys clubs”.

Mourinho is likely to have got a far better recommendation, as, intriguingly, Stoichkov visited Chelsea’s Cobham training ground last week and spoke at length with the Portuguese and Fabregas.

The hijacking of Pedro has echoes of Chelsea’s late move to sign Willian from under the noses of Tottenham Hotspur two years ago in what was a significant blow to then manager Andre Villas-Boas.

Mourinho’s main motivation in signing Pedro is clearly to improve his team and squad, but he will take great delight in putting one over United off the pitch after Chelsea’s slow start to the season on it.

United insist they are already pursuing new targets, but the failure to capture Pedro after the departure of Angel di Maria piles the pressure on Woodward who has previously failed to close deals for Fabregas, Thiago Alcantra and Gareth Bale, and was this summer led up the garden path by Sergio Ramos, who signed a new contract at Real Madrid.

Manchester City had also made enquiries over Pedro in case a bid for Kevin de Bruyne falls through, but the Eastlands club remain hopeful of clinching a deal for the former Chelsea midfielder before the transfer window shuts.

Mourinho had hinted that he was frustrated by Chelsea’s lack of transfer activity, but owner Roman Abramovich has responded to the City defeat by committing to spend up to £44m on Pedro and left-back Baba Rahman, while also having a £30m bid for central defender John Stones rejected.

Chelsea could yet land Stones for almost £40m before the transfer window shuts, but, even if Everton stand firm, there can be no doubt that Mourinho has been backed.

Lothar Matthaus believes Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would be the perfect manager to replace Pep Guardiola as boss of the German champions.

Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus believes Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would be the perfect manager to replace Pep Guardiola as boss of the German champions.

According to ​Mail Online, Matthaus believes Guardiola will leave the club at the end of the season as he's yet to agree a new contract. The Spaniard's contract runs until the end of June next year and Matthaus believes the indecision over his future means he's more set on leaving than staying.

Matthaus likes Mourinho's style and has called for the Chelsea boss to succeed Guardiola when he does leave, saying: "Mourinho would be the right boss for Bayern. Mourinho is more straight, more clean.

"Mourinho tells players things straight to their faces, whether they are in the first 11 or on the bench. I only hear good things about Mourinho and I have that information directly from his players.

"Pep's contract expires in 2016. But if he was sure about what he wants, he would sign now. My feeling is that he will leave."

Mourinho - who has been in the public eye recently for his fall-out with Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro - has won the Champions League with two different clubs, while he's also lifted domestic titles in whichever country he's worked in.

He agreed a new contract with Chelsea earlier this month, though, and Matthaus thinks Bayern will have a tough task in convincing him to move to Germany: "I know Mourinho has just agreed a new contract with Chelsea and that he feels that the club is his living room.

"For many people there, he is a hero. Mourinho has been successful in Portugal, Spain, Italy and England, with clubs where he did not always have the same quality of players as Pep did at Barcelona and Bayern.

"Mourinho won the treble with Inter, he beat Barca and Bayern. This is why I think he is a great manager for Bayern."

Was Chelsea’s Doctor Demoted Because She Is a Woman?

Last week, at the end of Chelsea Football Club’s opening match of the new Premier League season, its star player, Eden Hazard, went down clutching his thigh after colliding with an opponent. As usual, the referee quickly stood over the writhing player and twice summoned Chelsea’s medical staff onto the pitch to tend to Hazard’s apparent injury. Chelsea’s first-team doctor, Eva Carneiro, and physiotherapist, Jon Fearn, leapt from the bench with their medical kits. As the two ran past Chelsea’s manager, Jose Mourinho, standing on the touchline, he began screaming and wildly gesticulating in apparent rage. Carneiro and Fearn treated Hazard and, according to league rules, escorted him from the pitch, leaving Chelsea short and vulnerable as they unexpectedly chased a late winner against Swansea City.The match commentators, and most following along on Twitter, assumed Mourinho was furious with the referee for not punishing the foul on Hazard more harshly. But as Carneiro walked up to Mourinho on her way back to the bench, it became clear that she and Fearn were the objects of his rage.Chelsea held on for the 2–2 draw, but Mourinho—rather than criticize his team’s play, his own tactics, or Hazard’s toughness—focused his post-match comments on Carneiro and Fearn. “I wasn’t happy with them because, even if you are a medical doctor or secretary on the bench, you have to understand the game,” he said. “If you go to the pitch to assist a player, then you must be sure that a player has a serious problem.” Though this was incongruent with the actual events on the pitch, by Tuesday, Carneiro was demoted from Chelsea’s bench and will no longer attend the first team’s training sessions.The reaction to Mourinho’s outburst and Carneiro’s demotion was immediate and almost unanimous across social media, but not so in the English press. Carneiro’s predecessor at Chelsea, Ralph Rogers, called her naive and a “celebrity doctor,” accusing her of thinking she was bigger than the club by posting amessage of thanks to supporters on her Facebook page.Since her appointment to Chelsea in 2009, Carneiro has been almost completely silent in the face of continual harassment by fans, both at stadiums and online. She is one of the few female doctors in the Premier League, certainly its most visible, and is subject to sexist chants and jeers nearly every time she enters the pitch. There are memes and fanpages dedicated to her that would be unthinkable for her peers (even the ones who are clearly more deserving), yet she merely performs her duty, which is to keep 25 professional footballers fit and ready to perform at the highest level. She has performed this duty well enough since her promotion to first-team doctor in 2011 to outlast three managers before Mourinho’s arrival, and Chelsea’s remarkable injury record last season was a major contributor to its first league title since 2010. To Chelsea’s credit, the club has always been vigilant in reporting to authorities any spectators who abuse her at stadiums, but it has clearly sided with Mourinho in this case, despite public opinion.On one of the rare occasions that Carneiro has publicly given insight into her choice of career, she explains that she first knew she wanted to be a football team doctor at the age of sixteen, when she watched the physios run onto the pitch during a Champions League match. She went on to earn her degrees in sports medicine, completing her thesis with West Ham United Football Club, before taking a position preparing Great Britain’s men’s team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as the women’s football team. She explains her desire to be a positive role model for women interested in pursuing a career in medicine.“Women want to be leaders, we just put them off as they go along,” she says in the video. “This needs to change . . . Women are discouraged from a young age. I think as a male, you can aspire to having a successful professional life and also having a satisfying personal life . . . Women are told that if they want both, at best it’s going to be difficult and at worst it’s going to be a disaster . . . Ninety percent of the fan mail I receive is from young women wanting to know how to do what I do . . . [We need] to actually say it is possible, and not only is it possible, but your presence will improve results.” Asked by an interviewer what is most crucial to her success, Carneiro answers, “Maintaining communication with [your] colleagues and the players and the management is the most important thing.”Yesterday, in its second match, against fellow title favorites Manchester City,Chelsea was battered 3–0. For the full 90 minutes, Mourinho’s tactics were exposed by City’s fluent and ruthless attacks, and Chelsea’s reputed toughness and grit were torn apart, both figuratively and literally, by their opponents. In a two-minute stretch at the end of the first half, Chelsea’s hard-charging defender,Gary Cahill, had his nose broken in a collision with his goalkeeper, and Chelsea’s harder-charging forward, gashed his head in an aerial duel.While Chelsea’s medical team jammed cotton up Cahill’s nose on the sidelines, Costa’s wound was treated on the pitch by City’s medical staff. Mourinho stood silently on the touchline. Of course, this scene could have taken place even with Carneiro in attendance, but for four seasons and over 200 matches, for whatever reason—her knowledge of the game, her awareness, her unique expertise—it had not.

Everton reject £30 million bid

John Stones has been the subject of a third unsuccessful bid from Chelsea

John Stones to Chelsea: Everton reject £30million bid

Premier League champions ponder next move after third offer turned down by Merseyside club

Chelsea are considering their next move over John Stones after their third bid of £30million was turned down by Everton.
Central defender Stones is Jose Mourinho's main target before the transfer window shuts, but Chelsea face the prospect of having to pay up to £40m to land him.
Having now failed with bids of £20m, £26m and £30m, Chelsea are likely to want encouragement from either Stones or Everton before making a fourth offer.

John Stones is valued at £40m by Everton

Despite insisting Stones is not for sale, Everton will find it difficult to hold on to the 21-year-old if he asks to leave or if the bidding hits £40m.

Chelsea's negotiating position has not been helped by Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, which saw their captain John Terry substituted by Mourinho at half-time.Stones would potentially provide competition for Terry and right-back Branislav Ivanovic, whose form has been poor.

Having finally completed the signing of left-back Baba Rahman, Mourinho wants to land Stones and could still move for another attacking player if Chelsea can sell either Juan Cuadrado or Victor Moses. Cuadrado is among the list of Juventus' attacking midfield targets.

Mourinho has been concerned that Chelsea are in danger of falling behind their title rivals with City and United both poised to complete more deals before the window shuts.

Manchester United could earn £100m from Champions League return if Louis van Gaal's side beat Club Bruges

Manchester United train ahead of their Champions League qualifier against Club Bruges

Victory for Manchester United against Club Bruges in their Champions League qualifier could be worth as much as £100m.

Thanks to a huge increase in appearance and television money, a triumph over the Belgians has taken on extra significance to the Old Trafford bean counters.

Qualification for the group stages of the tournament, which United would secure should they emerge victorious from the play-off, will see them pick up £8.53m. Once there, they will then receive £710,000 for every win and £360,000 for every draw.

Louis van Gaal must mastermind victory over the Belgian side after United's solid start to the league season

Gary Neville: Man City win over Chelsea shows buzz is back

Gary Neville believes the "buzz is back" at Manchester City and they have emerged as the early front-runners for the Premier League title.

The Win HotSport pundit was at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to watch Manuel Pellegrini's side demolish champions Chelsea 3-0; a result which saw them installed as title favourites by the bookmakers.

And Neville says the decision to give manager Manuel Pellegrini a new contract has helped to build confidence in the squad.

"They have stuck with him and they all look invigorated again. They look like the buzz is back.

"There is a little bit of a spark in the ground, the fans look happier and to me at this moment in time they look like the early runners.

"Whether I go along with the bookies and dismiss Chelsea after one week and move them from favourites all of a sudden to be second favourites I'm not sure, but it's a good start for City. They deserve credit for that."

Neville has accused City of failing to build on their title successes in 2012 and 2014, but he has seen promising signs already this term.

And he has encouraged Pellegrini to add more players to his squad before the transfer window closes to reduce the burden on Yaya Toure in central midfield.

He added: "In these last two seasons, we have all accused them of lacking pace on the counter-attack with (David) Silva and (Samir) Nasri in the wide areas and with the team not changing enough after the first title that Mancini won three years ago.

"Now we are starting to look at a slightly different team. I still think they need one or two more. I still think that Yaya Toure, as a central midfielder in a two as the season goes on, playing Wednesday-Saturday with Champions League games, is a problem. I think they need to resolve that.

"But I have to say they look brighter, more energised and more up for it than they did at the start of last season.

"They were far better [against Chelsea] and should have been 3-0 up after 20 minutes when it was Aguero versus Begovic. I've never seen Chelsea as disjointed and as vulnerable as we did do in the first half."

Neville was also full of praise for £49m summer signing Raheem Sterling, insisting the England international's displays against West Brom and Chelsea have impressed him.

"I think he has developed, in the two games I've seen, a very good relationship with Aleksandar Kolarov," he said.

"I think he brings pace. David Silva playing centrally is a benefit of having Sterling there as a genuine, good wide player.

"It just works all round for me having Sterling at Manchester City. I think he'll get better service. I think he played well today without being what I would call outstanding, but he played the position well.

"Ivanovic had an uncomfortable afternoon. A couple of times he went round him and he got booked. I think it's been a good, solid start for Raheem Sterling without being, what you would say, spectacular.

"The relationship with Kolarov and Silva is promising for Manchester City and teams watching them now are going to have to deal with what is a massive threat down that left-hand side."

For more from Gary Neville - including his views on Chelsea's early-season struggles - listen to the Gary Neville Podcast now.

Raheem Sterling has gone but Philippe Coutinho proves Liverpool will be just fine without him

Star man: Coutinho celebrates his late winner at Stoke

The way Liverpool ended last season – in sixth place, without a trophy and hammered away to Stoke – it was difficult to argue with Raheem Sterling’s well-reported burning desire to leave Anfield to find success somewhere else.

Whether he gets it at Manchester City remains to be seen, but the idea he might have got some had he stayed at Anfield suddenly doesn’t seem so far fetched – thanks to a little Brazilian by the name of Philippe Coutinho.

Liverpool didn’t ease all the worries about their future in the 1-0 win away to Stokebut the game showed that, despite the sale of Sterling, the Reds have kept hold of by far their most important player from last season.

From the second this meeting was thrown up by the fixture computer it had promised to be something special. For the home fans it was a chance to see if Stoke could pull off another David v Goliath hammering.

For the travelling Liverpool fans it was the first chance to see if something like £80m of summer spending had given Brendan Rodgers the tools to prevent one.

MORE: 5 things we learned from the BritanniaWith all that anticipation it was therefore hardly a surprise that, up until a few minutes from time, the game was on the verge of fizzling out into a forgettable goalless draw, an early contender for the most boring game of the season.

Then, up stepped Philippe Coutinho.

Coutinho was barely fit for this game, having returned late to pre-season following the Copa America and Brendan Rodgers was about to bring him off for Danny Ings. Maybe Ings would have come on and scored the match winner on his full debut, but we’ll never know.

What we do know is that Coutinho stayed on long enough to make the kind of difference he made time and again last season with a goal worthy of winning a Champions League final.

The fact it ‘only’ won an away fixture against Stoke doesn’t matter. This match was vital, a must-win already, and Coutinho is the type of player any club with a hope of success needs, the kind of player who can find that bit of magic just when all hope seems lost.

Letting fly: Coutinho tries his luck from range

Last season Liverpool pinned a lot of hope on the shoulders of young Raheem, asking him to play all over the pitch to fill holes that should have been filled in the previous transfer window, and until the distractions of that far too public transfer saga got in the way he didn’t do too bad a job.

Yet Sterling never really had the look of a match winner about him. His best six months in a Liverpool shirt was the one where he played alongside Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, part of a front line that would terrorise any defence on its day. But as the main man, the one the hopes of a club as big Liverpool depend on, Sterling never quite cut it.

He’s only 20, of course, and that day may come – albeit not for Liverpool – but right now Phillippe Coutinho is far and away the better player.

Not long before he scored he had a shot that went way over the bar, much to the delight of the home fans, but he didn’t let it rattle his confidence.

Red hopes: Coutinho and Sterling during training last season

Maybe he was just getting his sights in, trying to work out the flight of this new Premier League ball. Maybe he was just rusty – but he looked far from it with his goal.

Liverpool’s good spell last season, sandwiched in between that awful start and very much an embarrassing finish, included more than one game where a spectacular Coutinho goal was the difference.

That difference might well be what kept Rodgers in his job and he must have been reluctant about taking him off against Stoke, leaving it late to do so, weighing up the needs of today with the needs of the remains of another long season.

As Rodgers said afterwards: “I was very close to taking him off. He was going to come off and we were going to put Danny Ings on, but when you score the goal, your mind changes. I’m glad I kept him on!”

The boss: Rodgers speaks with Coutinho and James Milner

At the start of this year, mid-season last season, Rodgers gave Sterling time off for a holiday, a show of compassion that in hindsight Sterling probably wasn’t worthy of. Coutinho has barely had any time off since the start of last season, yet there he was putting everything into winning this game for Liverpool, for the fans.

Rodgers said of the Brazilian: “I think he’s shown his quality for such a young player. He’s only been back three weeks in training, so he’s not at the top of his fitness.”

Liverpool might yet wish they hadn’t sold Sterling, when they face his new club for example, but there were no such thoughts yesterday. As far as the supporters are concerned, it seems the England man is all but forgotten.

With the departures of Kop idols like Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, with Sterling leaving before he actually became one, questions were being asked about who the next one would be. He’s already here.

Taking on the mantle: Coutinho can be Liverpool's main man

Rodgers acknowledged the travelling Reds’ post match reception for Coutinho, saying: “The supporters at this club, the minimum they want to see is effort and commitment - they’ve seen that [with Coutinho] and I think they’ll be proud of the team. It was a great victory for us and now we can look forward to the Bournemouth game.”

Players like Coutinho, scoring goals like the one that beat Stoke, need to be playing on the world’s biggest stages and for that to happen more of his teammates need to find the desire he shows every time he wears that Red shirt.

Everyone looked tired in that first game, but only man looked ready to capitalise on it.

Men of the match

Man City's Yaya Toure and David Silva were both deserving of the man of the match accolade

Yaya Toure inspired Manchester City to a dominant victory at West Brom as £49m summer signing Raheem Sterling made his debut for the visitors.

A Toure shot seemed to be deflected off team-mate David Silva and go through defender Craig Dawson's legs before trickling over the line.

City extended their lead when Toure curled a shot into the top corner.

Vincent Kompany headed in a corner as City delivered an early statement of Premier League title intent.

West Brom had a rare chance for a consolation goal when Chris Brunt crossed for James Morrison, who headed straight at goalkeeper Joe Hart.

City host Chelsea next Sunday and the only negative for them was when Toure went off late on with an apparent groin injury.

Toure and Silva steal the Sterling spotlight

All eyes were on Sterling after the 20-year-old England international forward's controversial and protracted move to City from Liverpool this summer.

But it was Ivory Coast midfielder Toure and Spanish playmaker Silva who stole the show as they epitomised the desire and energy that manager Manuel Pellegrini's side were accused of sometimes lacking last season.

Silva's darting runs, jinking feet and vision allied with the power and finishing of Toure was too much for the Baggies to handle.

Kompany will also hope his struggles of last season are behind him after he put in the type of commanding performance he is more renowned for as he marked his display with a goal.

The new signings, Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and West Bromwich Albion’s Rickie Lambert.

Did Sterling look like a £49m player?

It is obviously too early to judge but he should have marked his Premier League debut for City with a goal.

The pink-booted Sterling, playing on the left flank, was clean through on goal just before half-time only to lack precision to his shot as he played it too close to keeper Boaz Myhill, who saved low to his left.

On the other side of the break, Sterling showed the kind of pace that puts fear into the opposition as he ran at the Baggies goal before having an angled shot blocked away by Myhill.

Chelsea's club doctor Eva Carneiro makes sly dig at Jose Mourinho after being blasted by Blues boss

Chelsea's club doctor Eva Carneiro has had a sly dig at manager Jose Mourinho after he criticised the Premier League champions' medical staff.

The Special One blasted his staff for being "impulsive and naive" after Saturday's draw with Swansea.

Already down to 10 men after Thibaut Courtois' red card, the Chelsea physios ran on to the pitch to treat Eden Hazard, despite the Belgian seemingly not badly injured.

It meant they had to play with only nine players for a short period, and the Portuguese wasn't impressed.

"I was unhappy with my medical staff. They were impulsive and naive," Mourinho told Sky Sports.

In pictures - Chelsea 2-2 Swansea City

 

"Whether you are a kit man, doctor or secretary on the bench you have to understand the game.

"You have to know you have one player less and to assist a player you must be sure he has a serious problem. I was sure Eden did not have a serious problem. He had a knock. He was tired."

However, Carneiro has taken to her verified Facebook account to thank fans for their support.

"I would like to thank the general public for their overwhelming support. Really very much appreciated."

On an eventful afternoon at the Bridge, Swansea twice came from behind to take a valuable point back to South Wales.

Andre Ayew cancelled out Oscar's opener, before a deflected Willian cross put the Blues back ahead.

Courtois was dismissed after the break for bringing down Bafetimbi Gomis, and the striker converted from the spot past Asmir Begovic to make it 2-2, which is how it stayed.

Arsene Wenger: Arsenal boss wants response

Keeper Petr Cech misjudged Dimitri Payet's free-kick to allow Cheikhou Kouyate to nod in the Hammers' first.

After the break, Mauro Zarate finished from 20 yards after being gifted the ball by the Gunners defence.

Arsenal had 62% of possession, but put just six of 22 shots on target as Aaron Ramsey's first-half effort against the bar was the closest they came.

Gunners fans, who left the Emirates Stadium in large numbers before the final whistle, will feel like they have seen all this before, not just in the way their side performed, but also in the familiarity of their starting line-up.

Cech's arrival from Chelsea has been Wenger's only summer signing since last term's third-place finish, and it was an uncharacteristic display from the experienced keeper.

The 33-year-old was not only at fault for West Ham's opener, but was wrong-footed by Zarate's strike, although he received little help from his defence as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Francis Coquelin gave the ball away on the edge of their own area.

Bilic, 46, replaced Sam Allardyce this summer and was handed a remit of getting the east London club playing 'the West Ham way' - a brand of football based around an attacking and entertaining approach.

But the Hammers showed the battling qualities Bilic was renowned for during his spell as a defender with the club from 1996 to 1997.

Reece Oxford, who became his side's youngest-ever Premier League player at the age of 16 years and 237 days, epitomised West Ham's fighting spirit, screening his defence superbly from midfield.

Reece Oxford had the game's highest passing accuracy (95%), lost possession just once and made two blocks and three interceptions

Arsene Wenger: Arsenal boss wants response after defeat

Arsenal will recover from the "nerves" they suffered in their opening-day Premier League defeat by West Ham, their manager Arsene Wenger says.

The Gunners lost 2-0 at home on Sunday, despite having 62% of possession and 22 shots.

"We will respond to that accident," said Wenger.

"The players were maybe too nervous and put too much pressure on themselves. Today we have been hurt mentally and it is a good opportunity to respond."

Ronaldinho debuts for Fluminense

Ronaldinho's much-anticipated debut for Fluminense passed with little fanfare but a key contribution.

Two metro stops from the Maracana and there is an energy in the train carriage that cannot merely be put down to it being game day. The Fluminense fans are out in more force than usual ahead of the battle of the Tricolors against Gremio. Indeed, it's not just any match, for there is to be a special guest; a royal visit in footballing terms. Ronaldinho is making his debut for Flu.

It's too soon after his arrival for there to be many jerseys with his name on, although Flu have no doubt banked on his profile being a huge draw in the club shop. There are visual clues to complement the excited chatter: Hawkers have been busy selling rubber masks of Ronaldinho's face in the days leading up to the game. The effect is mildly chilling.

Conversely, it's been a fair old wait to see him in action. Since he confirmed he was joining the Brazilian side via an Instagram post in which he looked more like a hostage than anything, the playmaker has been working his way to match fitness. At his age such going is slow, yet there have been swoons of delight at a few training ground flicks and tricks.

The fact that a player so patently past his best is still viewed as a potential talisman does not reflect especially well on the strength of Brazil's top flight, but it's hard not to buy into the excitement. His Greatest Hits Tour has been running for some time now. Fans of Flamengo (Flu's most bitter rivals) and Atlético Mineiro have already enjoyed the show, indulging Ronaldinho's proclivity for all things nocturnal to revel in the highlight-reel quality of his contributions on the field. This late-career romp has been entirely in his image, even if dispatches from his spell with Queretaro in Mexico were not exactly glowing.Fans had little time to buy personalised shirts but vendors sold plenty of Ronaldinho masks.

The Fluminense fans (of which there are 33,000, sorry João) put on one of their famous mosaicos for his arrival, a giant club badge emerging from a sea of green, white and burgundy. As he emerges from the tunnel, bright green boots glinting in the falling dusk, a chant echoes around the stands: "Uh, fudeu! O Ronaldinho apareceu!" Rough translation: "Now you're screwed: Ronaldinho's here."

In his defence, Flu's tactics do not favour him. With Fred (his status as the undisputed darling of the crowd has now probably expired) out injured, Ronaldinho plays up front behind a trio of zippy but erratic attacking midfielders. Barcelona-bound Gerson is the most talented of the supporting actors but has a stinker, leaving Ronnie high and dry, more fall guy than false nine.

Things improve after the break with the introduction of a genuine forward, one-time West Ham non-entity Wellington Paulista. Ronaldinho drops deeper to orchestrate and is granted the freedom of the pitch when his former club are reduced to ten men. And then it is from the veteran's boot that the winning goal stems, his lofted ball flicked on and finished with atypical calmness by the fidgety Marcos Júnior. Most of the Flu players celebrate with Ronaldinho rather than the scorer. They, too, know that he is the story.

The final whistle sounds and Ronaldinho is whisked to the side of the pitch for an interview that will be repeated ad infinitum on television throughout the evening. Then, his work for the night complete, he thanks his new disciples with an enigmatic wave and slinks off into the night.