Blasphemy! Seven clubs lock horns for the title after sir Alex Ferguson's retirement!

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Arsenal turn to Mexico international to replace Arteta
Diego Reyes says yes to boost Arsene Wenger's title charge

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Sol Campbell
The Guardian
, Thursday 29 January 2015

Arsenal have moved to sign a name the fans will remember - but it's not Jose Antonio Reyes. Wenger has sanctioned the transfer of Mexico international defensive midfielder Diego Reyes (22). Diego comes from FC Porto after the Portuguese club settled for a 15.25 million pounds fee.

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Reyes eager to fill Arteta void

Even though he's still in his early twenties, Reyes is a regular for his country, having featured 21 times with one goal. He has pulled a string of spectacular performances during his 18 month spell in Portugal. His ability to break up the opposition's play is tremendous. In fact he is so adept at performing defensive duties he can comfortably play as center back.​

Diego Reyes transfer verdict: 7.5/10 - definite upgrade over Mikel Arteta, Reyes possesses the perfect mix of skills to protect the defensive line and give the offensive midfield triangle in front of him a solid base to work on.
 

Adebayor leaves Spurs
Fans cheer the transfer - feels like a new signing

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David Pleat
The Guardian
, Thursday 29 January 2015

Tottenham have added quality up front with the signings of Diego Costa and Karim Benzema this season - which has finally allowed Andre Villas-Boas to get rid of out of favour striker Emmanuel Adebayor (30). The Togo international has been at sword with Spurs fans for years and jumped at the chance of changing the scenery when Aston Villa came in for him with a 1.0 million pounds bid.

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Fans happy to see the back of him

Adebayor spent three and a half seasons at White Hart Lane and impressed during an initial season-long loan spell but only managed 6 goals in 33 league appearances after sealing a permanent move. He was reduced to a bench role in the previous campaign but only featured twice this season despite Diego Costa's lengthly injury and went on record about his poor relationship with manager Andre Villas-Boas.​

Emmanuel Adebayor transfer verdict: 5.0/10 - this had been coming for years now and the only reason Adebayor wasn't flogged earlier was his massive wage which he was happy to take from Spurs despite the lack of first team football - wonder how Villain fans feel about this transfer?
 
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Premier League predictions: Lawro v Ray

BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson is pitting his wits against a different guest each week this season.

This week he takes on American actor and Tottenham fan Ray Liotta. Ray is best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas and for his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams. He has won an Emmy Award and been nominated for Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards.

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Lawro vs Tottenham fan Ray Liotta

A correct result is worth ONE point. A correct score earns THREE points.

Manchester United - Arsenal
Ray Liotta: I can see this as a draw, both of them will want to keep title hopes alive. 2-2.
Mark Lawrenson: I think the Gunners will prevail in a close encounter here. 1-2.

Tottenham - Hull
Ray Liotta: We should win this but knowing us we might follow up the great win against Newcastle with a draw at the Lane. 2-0.
Mark Lawrenson: I also think Spurs should have enough momentum to see out Hull at home. 1-0.

Chelsea - Everton
Ray Liotta: This might be a hard game for Chelsea if they underestimate the Toffees. 2-2.
Mark Lawrenson: I can't think of anything but a routine home win in this one. 2-0.

Cardiff - Newcastle
Ray Liotta: The visitors will take this. 0-3.
Mark Lawrenson: The Magpies are on a very poor run right now but I think they have been unlucky with red cards and should get back to winning ways in this one. 1-4.

Nottingham Forest - Manchester City
Ray Liotta: Easy call - 0-2.
Mark Lawrenson: The most certain visitors win in the round for me. 1-3.

Last week, Lawro got three results right, with no perfect scores. His score of 3 was not good enough to match the predictions of Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher, who managed two correct results with one perfect score.

Total scores after Week Twenty Three
Lawro: 94
Guests: 82
 
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Premier League
Round 24

Saturday 31st January 2015:

Manchester United - Arsenal 3-1
Fellaini (16), Coentrao (44), Bale (45); Vela (48)
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Tottenham - Hull 1-1
Soldado (65); Helenius (32)
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Chelsea - Everton 4-1
Falcao (16), Wallace (24), Lampard (30), Sanchez (45); Distin (51)
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Sunday 1st February 2015:

Cardiff - Newcastle 1-4
Cornelius (61); Peruzzi (8), Ben Arfa (17), Januzaj (68), Sissoko (73)
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Nottingham Forest - Manchester City 0-2
Pugliese sent off (36); Lucas Leiva (71), Ronaldo (pen 81)
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League Table:

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Gary Lineker: Good evening and welcome to Match of the Day for our thoughts on the 2014/15 Premier League season! It seems the race will be as tight as ever this time around and as we all know it is those direct 6-pointer clashes that play a decisive part in deciding who will fly and who will fall. For this reason we will be focusing solely on those giant games in Match of the Day. Stay with us as Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer aid me on analyzing the key aspects of what happened and why it happened for you!

Manchester United - Arsenal
3-1
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Gary Lineker: As Old Trafford geared up for the opening game of the weekend, both Manchester United and Arsenal couldn't afford to think of the draw as an option. A home win would have seen the Red Devils catch up with their visitors and at least maintain the nine point gap to the top. Arsenal was better positioned but still six points off league leaders Chelsea. Man United started brightly and capitalized on home advantage with an early Marouane Fellaini goal. It visibly put the Gunners under pressure and the visitors were looking to just survive and stay in contention at the half time whistle. They were on track to do so but failed miserably in the end with Coentrao and Bale adding late goals just before the break to put the game beyond Arsenal's reach. The visitors received early hope with a quick Vela goal in the second period but that was everything a resilient home side would let them.
Alan Hansen: The hosts were in full control of the game from start till end and even when Carlos Vela put one back for Arsenal it didn't affect their confidence. Man United completely bossed the game in all parameters - their passing was much more accurate which let them hold possession for the majority of time, their tackling was way superior - which allowed for possession to be quickly recovered when lost, they were dominant in the air which didn't allow the Gunners to use a more direct approach with midfield so devoid of ideas. I think half the Arsenal team had an off day and you just can't afford that at Old Trafford, especially when you are chasing the title.
Alan Shearer: I'd say it wasn't half the Arsenal team having an off day - it was the entire team. Goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano was at fault for the late first half double Man United scored and it effectively killed the game. The goalscorers were the particular highlights for the hosts and Gareth Bale picked up the PoM award by adding an assist to his goal. I'd also note the good game Paul Pogba had - he also created one of the goals - which suggests he's regaining his form.
Gary Lineker: This result puts both teams in the same boat - nine points behind Chelsea. Neither of them can afford any more mistakes with the Blues on red hot form at the moment. It's not just the title race - someone will also miss on the top four and Champions League football next season. At this point it is Arsenal left out in 5th and the Gunners must make sure this defeat doesn't destroy their season - which seemed so much better just a week ago!
 
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January Watch


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Premier League Table

The Contenders:

Chelsea (1st; 61pts; +40) - the Blues picked up 15 points this month and that puts them five points clear at the top of the Premier League!
Player of the month: Sergio Ramos (DRC/WBR) 7.60
4 Current first team injuries:
Thibaut Courtois (GK) - 5-11 days (damaged spine)
Ramires (DM/MRC/AMR) - 11-14 days (groin strain)
Thiago Alcantara (M/AMC) - 2-3 days (bruised shin)
Victor Moses (AMRLC) - 2-3 months (broken foot)

Newcastle
(2nd; 56pts; +39) - the Magpies picked up 7 points this month which sees them surrender the top and slide down level on points with Manchester City.
Player of the month: Kurt Zouma (DC) 7.82
1 Current first team injury:
Eduardo Salvio (AMRL) - 3 days (knock)

Manchester City
(3rd; 56pts; +23) - the Citizens picked up 10 points this month which is enough to catch up with Newcastle and keep some pressure on leaders Chelsea - especially if the game in hand is won!
Player of the month: Matija Nastasic (DC) 7.56
1 Current first team injury:
Pablo Zabaleta (DRL/WBR) - 6 days (knock)

Manchester United (4th; 52pts; +30) - the Red Devils picked up 12 points this month and climbed back in the top four - they will hope it's not too late to mount a real title challenge as well.
Player of the month: Marouane Fellaini (DM/M/AMC) 7.78
2 Current first team injuries:
Ben Amos (GK) - 7-14 days (sprained ankle)
Nani (AMRL) - 5-12 days (strained knee ligaments)

Arsenal
(5th; 52pts; +20) - the Gunners picked up 9 points this month which puts a severe threat not only on their title challenge but on Champions League qualification as well, which had appeared pretty safe earlier in the season!
Player of the month: Thomas Vermaelen (DLC) 7.46
3 Current first team injuries:
Jack Rodwell (DM/MC) - 2 days (knock)
Juan Cuadrado (AMR) - 4 days (knock)
Mesut Ozil (AMRLC) - 2-4 weeks (torn hamstring)

Tottenham (7th; 38pts; +5) - Spurs picked up just 6 points this month and may now miss out even on Europa League qualification unless a dramatic change of fortunes comes soon.
Player of the month: Nathaniel Clyne (DRL) 7.44
2 Current first team injuries:
Hugo Lloris (GK) - 2-3 weeks (groin strain)
Karim Benzema (ST) - 4 months (broken foot)

Other teams to watch:

Southampton (6th) - the Saints just cannot stop impressing and are now in commanding position to secure European qualification!

Aston Villa (8th) - the Villains are just three points away from Spurs in 7th - which could theoretically grant Europa League football next season.

West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Brighton occupy the bottom three. There is little hope for rock-bottom Brighton who are 7 points off safety but the other two can get away easily as teams as high as 11th are congested within just six points.

January Player of the Month:
Jose Fonte (Southampton)
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January Young Player of the Month:
Wallace (Chelsea)

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January Manager of the Month:
Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)
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Leading Goalscorers:
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Arsenal
buy cultured winger Antonio Candreva (27) from FC Porto for 20.5 million pounds
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Manchester City send defensive midfielder Javi Garcia (27) to Aston Villa on loan
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Arsenal buy center back Juri Miraglia (18) from A.C. Milan for 3.8 million pounds
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Manchester United buy fullback Jordi Alba (25) from Paris Saint-Germain for 25.5 million pounds
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Tottenham sell center back Vlad Chiriches (25) to Valencia for 10.5 million pounds
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Tottenham buy flamboyant winger Dimitri Payet (27) from Marseilles for 26.0 million pounds
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Tottenham sign strong center back Kyriakos Papadopoulos (22) from Schalke for 11.0 million pounds
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Tottenham buy fullback Fabio Coentrao (26) from Manchester United for 17.25 million pounds
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Transfer Market is now CLOSED!
 
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Premier League predictions: Lawro v Floyd

BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson is pitting his wits against a different guest each week this season.

This week he takes on American professional boxer and Manchester United fan Floyd Mayweather Jr. who is currently unbeaten on professional level. Floyd has won eight world titles and the lineal championship in three different weight classes. He is the WBC welterweight champion, WBA super welterweight champion, WBC Super welterweight champion, recipient of the WBC diamond super welterweight belt, current Ring No. 1 ranked welterweight and junior middleweight. He is also rated as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by many sporting news and boxing websites. Mayweather topped the Forbes and Sports Illustrated lists of the 50 highest-paid athletes of 2012 and 2013 currently making Mayweather the highest paid athlete in the world.

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Lawro vs Manchester United fan Floyd Mayweather Jr.

A correct result is worth ONE point. A correct score earns THREE points.

Brighton - Chelsea
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: It's like a rat pouncing a tiger this one, 0-4.
Mark Lawrenson: Rock bottom team hosts the league leaders - not much to think here. 0-3.

Newcastle - Nottingham Forest
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Wounded but not knocked out - the Magpies will win this. 3-0.
Mark Lawrenson: I second that - 4-1.

Arsenal - Sunderland
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Another uneven game, can't see a surprise either. 3-0.
Mark Lawrenson: Once again I agree. 2-1.

Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham games postponed

Last week, Lawro got three results right, with one perfect score. His score of 5 was good enough to beat the predictions of Tottenham fan Ray Liotta, who managed two correct results with one perfect score.

Total scores after Week Twenty Four
Lawro: 99
Guests: 86
 
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Premier League
Round 25

Tuesday 3rd February 2015:

Brighton - Chelsea 0-2
Hazard (59), Willian (90+3)
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Wednesday 4th February 2015:


Arsenal - Sunderland 1-1
Isco (35), Reyes sent off (58); Moberg-Karlsson (90+1)
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Newcastle - Nottingham Forest 4-0
Depay (47, 72, 86), Remy (57)
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Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham games postponed

League Table:

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Premier League predictions: Lawro v Lana

BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson is pitting his wits against a different guest each week this season.

This week he takes on American singer-songwriter and Liverpool fan Lana Del Rey. Elizabeth Grant's music, as is her real name, has been noted for its cinematic sound and its references to various aspects of pop culture, particularly that of the 1950s and 1960s Americana. The singer has described herself as a "self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra". Before signing to a major record label, Del Rey provided sole production of her music videos. Musically, she draws influence from what she deems to be the masters of each genre, including Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Nirvana, Eminem, Bruce Springsteen and Britney Spears, as well as from poetry and film noir. In 2013, she received her first Grammy nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

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Lawro vs Liverpool fan Lana Del Rey

A correct result is worth ONE point. A correct score earns THREE points.

Southampton - Chelsea
Lana Del Rey: That's two strong ones, no? 1-1.
Mark Lawrenson: This will be a real test for the Blues but I can see them coming on top in the end - 1-2.

Newcastle - Aston Villa
Lana Del Rey: Another two strong teams, should be a draw. 2-2.
Mark Lawrenson: The Magpies can't afford slip ups, especially at home, and they need to make up the away loss to Villa earlier in the season for the fans. 3-1.

Brighton - Manchester United
Lana Del Rey: The Red Devils should win this. 0-3.
Mark Lawrenson: Can't see how Brighton will hold them off, really. 0-2.

Hull - Arsenal
Lana Del Rey: Umm shouldn't be a winner here. 0-0.
Mark Lawrenson: The Gunners will look to bounce back or risk being left behind for the top four. 1-3.

Tottenham - Nottingham Forest
Lana Del Rey: Not much of a contest, Forest are weak. 3-0.
Mark Lawrenson: I agree, Forest collapsed in the second half at Saint James' Park and can see it happen again - 4-0.

Manchester City - Cardiff
Lana Del Rey: Not a chance this world or another. 3-0.
Mark Lawrenson: The Citizens should make it look easy in this one. 4-1.

Last week, Lawro got two results right, with no perfect scores. His score of 2 was a perfect match for the predictions of Manchester United fan Floyd Mayweather Jr., who managed two correct results with no perfect scores.

Total scores after Week Twenty Five
Lawro: 101
Guests: 88
 
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Premier League
Round 26

Saturday 7th February 2015:

Southampton - Chelsea 2-2
Osvaldo (62), Dawson (90+2); Lewandowski (42), Oscar (43)
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Tottenham - Nottingham Forest 2-1
Soldado (15), Griezmann (77); Campbell (45+1)
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Newcastle - Aston Villa 2-0
Baines (22), Suarez sent off (51), Depay (88); Adebayor sent off (47)
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Manchester City
- Cardiff 3-0
Jovetic (22), Vidal (32), Hutton o.g. (68)
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Brighton -
Manchester United 1-3
Wright (41); Smalling (9), Bale (22), Rooney (46), Vidic sent off (80)
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Hull - Arsenal 1-3
Elmohamady (37); El Shaarawy (11, 47), Giroud (72)
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League Table:

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Premier League predictions: Lawro v Charlize

BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson is pitting his wits against a different guest each week this season.

This week he takes on South African and American actress and Chelsea fan Charlize Theron. Charlize rose to fame in the late 1990s following roles in the films The Devil's Advocate, Mighty Joe Young and The Cider House Rules. Theron received critical acclaim for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, for which she won the Silver Bear, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Academy Award for Best Actress among several other accolades, becoming the first South African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category. Theron became a U.S. citizen in 2007, while retaining her South African citizenship. In recent years she has moved into the field of producing, both in television and film. With the notable exception of Prometheus, which killed the childhood memories of lifelong fans of the Alien movie series.

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Lawro vs Chelsea fan Charlize Theron

A correct result is worth ONE point. A correct score earns THREE points.

Arsenal - Brighton
Charlize Theron: I didn't know Brighton were in the Premier League... 5-0.
Mark Lawrenson: The Gunners will take this game, question is how many will they score. 3-0.

Crystal Palace - Newcastle
Charlize Theron: Could see a surprise here. 2-2.
Mark Lawrenson: I don't think Palace have enough quality to stop the Magpies right now. 1-3.

Aston Villa - Manchester City
Charlize Theron: Sounds like an even contest but I'll go with the home side. 2-1.
Mark Lawrenson: It's tempting to go for a shock result here but I think the Citizens will extend their record sequence of 30 unbeaten games! 1-3.

Cardiff - Tottenham
Charlize Theron: Away win, period. 1-3.
Mark Lawrenson: This is a place to look for an upset with Spurs lacking motivation in the run-in. 2-1.

Chelsea - Swansea
Charlize Theron: No more mistakes for us, this is a game we can and will win. 3-0.
Mark Lawrenson: I also expect the Blues to use this match to make a statement of intent. 2-0.

Manchester United - Everton
Charlize Theron: No surprises at Old Trafford. 3-1.
Mark Lawrenson: Well, for some reason I think the Red Devils will struggle in this game and Everton might walk away with a point. 1-1.

Last week, Lawro got five results right, with one perfect score. His score of 7 was just good enough to beat the predictions of Liverpool fan Lana Del Rey, who managed four correct results with one perfect score.

Total scores after Week Twenty Six
Lawro: 108
Guests: 94
 
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Premier League
Round 27

Tuesday 10th February 2015:

Aston Villa - Manchester City 1-4
van Ginkel (86); Vidal (pen 16), Kompany (32, 61), Modric (34)
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Arsenal - Brighton 4-1
Filipe (3), Isco (35), Vermaelen (44), Vela (65); Crofts (14)
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Crystal Palace - Newcastle 3-4
Smit (55), Jerome (80), Ings (89); Remy (47), Depay (65), Debuchy (77), Januzaj (90+3)
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Chelsea
- Swansea 2-2
Hazard (14), Chalobah (42), Cole sent off (84); Lamah (75), Bony (pen 85)
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Cardiff -
Tottenham 0-0
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Wednesday 11th February 2015:


Manchester United - Everton 3-0
Hernandez (7), Kagawa (29. 63)
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League Table:

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You're scoring for fun atm, mate, whooping 72 goals in 26 games.

Btw hilarious gif about Suarez's diving - http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/suarez.gif

Still not good enough to beat off the competition, should have been 6-9 points clear at this stage. I am aware Suarez has the reputation but getting sent off solely because of consistent diving is even more stupid than biting someone bigger than you!! Especially when a game is hanging in the balance. Thank lord Villa couldn't score there.
 
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