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

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English Title Contenders Cup Watch

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Fifth Round Draw

Preston - Newcastle
Manchester City - Swansea
Manchester United - Fulham
Nottingham Forest -
Chelsea
Aston Villa - Blackburn
 
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Premier League predictions: Lawro v Noel

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

This week he takes on English musician, singer, songwriter and Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher. Noel served as the lead guitarist, occasional lead singer and principal songwriter of the rock band Oasis. Many have praised Gallagher's songwriting, with George Martin claiming him to be "the finest songwriter of his generation."

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Lawro vs Manchester City fan Noel

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

Hull - Newcastle
Noel Gallagher: It's about time the champions lose pace and a nice draw here would let us catch up with them. 1-1.
Mark Lawrenson: I think the Magpies will win this easily. 1-3.

Bolton - Arsenal
Noel Gallagher: I'd love to say otherwise but this is an Arsenal win. 0-3.
Mark Lawrenson: Can't see past the Gunners for this one. 1-4.

Chelsea - Manchester City
Noel Gallagher: We will win this, of course. 1-3.
Mark Lawrenson: I can see a Chelsea win here, but it will be narrow - 2-1.

Manchester United - Blackburn
Noel Gallagher: Another draw here would suit us perfectly. 1-1.
Mark Lawrenson: The Red Devils are at home so I expect them to win, even though it will probably be close. 3-2.

Last week, Lawro got two results right, with no perfect scores. His score of 2 was not good enough for the predictions of Arsenal fan Dido, who scored 3, managing three correct results with no perfect scores.

Total scores after Week Twenty Two
Lawro: 96
Guests: 85
 
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Premier League
Round 23

Tuesday 24th January 2017:

Hull - Newcastle 0-3
Suarez (1), Lamela (58, 87)
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Bolton - Arsenal 0-5
Isco (7), Ozil (51), Cavani (59), Pique (62), El Shaarawy (84)
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Chelsea - Manchester City 1-0
Ramos sent off (44), Mangala (51)
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Wednesday 25th January 2017:

Manchester United - Blackburn 2-1
Rooney (43), Icardi (50); Lukaku (69)
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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 2016/17 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!

Chelsea - Manchester City
1-0
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Gary Lineker: Chelsea entertained Manchester City at Stamford Bridge needing no less than a win to keep their title hopes alive with the gap to the top sitting at five points. The visitors were five points behind Chelsea and had to get a result or risked falling behind the top four. It seemed they would get a good chance to do so when Sergio Ramos got his marching orders just before the half time whistle but it was Chelsea who grabbed a winner shortly after the break with a good Mangala header.
Alan Hansen: I honestly don't know how Man City couldn't score, especially in the second half. They had a number of great chances and have to kick themselves for missing them all. Good words have to be said for Chelsea as they held their own even with ten men and didn't surrender possession to a visiting team pressing for an equalizer.
Alan Shearer: Goalscorer Mangala picked up the PoM award for scoring the winner after coming off the bench in the second half and Hazard and Umtiti also impressed but it was a scrappy affair and most of the players disappointed. Nastasic was particularly at fault for the goal and his mistake proved costly in the end.
Gary Lineker: This win allows the Blues to stay in the chase just five points behind Newcastle although they still have played one game more than the Magpies. The Citizens are now five points behind the top four and need to make the most of their game in hand although considering the gap to the top is now 13 points it's hard to imagine them mounting a late title challenge.
 

Gary Lineker: Good evening and welcome to Match of the Day for our thoughts on the 2016/17 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 - Blackburn
2-1
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Gary Lineker: Man United entertained Blackburn at Old Trafford knowing a win would keep them seven points within leaders Newcastle with a game in hand while Rovers were looking to stay in touch with the top four with a good result. It was the Red Devils who got a quickfire two goal lead with Rooney and Icardi scoring on both ends of the half time whistle. Rovers pulled one back with a Lukaku strike with 20 to go but couldn't find an equalizer.
Alan Hansen: The Red Devils dominated the match and deserved their win. They had way more chances and a lion's share of possession and I think the Robben injury just after the second home goal really hurt the visitors. I'll point out the great strategic thinking of Man United players who avoided conceding set pieces near their box, including corners, which nullified the Rovers aerial threat.
Alan Shearer: I was impressed with goalscorers Rooney and Icardi from the home side but Luke Shaw from the visitors grabbed the PoM award. Ter Stegen and Carvajal put in poor performances though and allowed the home team to take advantage.
Gary Lineker: This win keeps the Red Devils seven points off Newcastle with a game in hand and two in hand over second-placed Chelsea who are just 2 points above in the table. Rovers will find it very tough to challenge for top four now the gap is up to six points and all teams above them have additional games to play.
 
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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.

Newcastle - Aston Villa
Ray Liotta: This must be a home win. 3-0.
Mark Lawrenson: I think the Magpies will prevail over the battling Villains. 4-2.

Southampton - Chelsea
Ray Liotta: This might spawn a shock. 3-2.
Mark Lawrenson: I also think there will be goals but the Blues will take it. 2-4.

Manchester City - Bolton
Ray Liotta: Home win. 5-0.
Mark Lawrenson: Yes, the only question here is how many will Man City score. 4-0.

West Ham - Arsenal
Ray Liotta: Big derby and of course it is Arsenal so I'll say draw. 2-2.
Mark Lawrenson: The Gunners will win this. 0-3.

Blackburn - Stoke
Ray Liotta: Hard one to call but I'll back the visitors. 1-3.
Mark Lawrenson: I also think Rovers will find this hard to win. 2-2.

Tottenham - Manchester United
Ray Liotta: Ah, I'll say we will win it even though it goes against logic. 1-0.
Mark Lawrenson: Can't imagine the Red Devils will fail to book a win here, they are on a hot streak. 1-3.

Last week, Lawro got four results right, with no perfect scores. His score of 4 was too good for the predictions of Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher, who scored 1, managing one correct result with no perfect scores.

Total scores after Week Twenty Three
Lawro: 100
Guests: 86
 
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Premier League
Round 24

Saturday 28th January 2017:

Newcastle - Aston Villa 7-1
Marquinhos (7), Januzaj (19), Grimm (45+2, 46, pen 48, 53, 90+1); Agbonlahor (49), Fletcher sent off (71)
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Southampton - Chelsea 3-4
Ramirez (9, 64), Osvaldo (88); Lewandowski (13), Neymar (20), Hummels (47), Strootman (90)
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West Ham - Arsenal 0-4
Cavani (pen 37, 75), Tomkins o.g. (68), Isco (86)
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Manchester City - Bolton 8-0
Messi (4, 45+1), Ronaldo (18, 25), Thiago Silva (19), Modric (23), Nastasic (54), Sigurdsson (75)
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Sunday 29th January 2017:

Tottenham - Manchester United 1-0
Benzema (56); Alba sent off (90)
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Blackburn - Stoke 1-0
Huth o.g. (34)
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League Table:

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January Watch


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Premier League Table

The Contenders:

Newcastle (1st; 62pts; +56) - the Magpies picked up all 12 points on offer this month and remain top of the table with comfortable five point lead and a game in hand over second placed Chelsea.
Player of the month: Leighton Baines - 8.22
2 Current first team injuries:
Marquinhos - 7-10 days (twisted knee)
Memphis Depay - 11-14 days (strained ankle ligaments)

Chelsea (2nd; 57pts; +35) - the Blues picked up 12 points this month and remain five points behind the Magpies.
Player of the month: Juan Mata - 7.78
3 Current first team injuries:
Thiago Alcantara - 2-3 days (food poisoning)
Ramires - 7-11 days (pulled hamstring)
John Obi Mikel - 6-10 days (twisted ankle)

Arsenal (3rd; 54pts; +34) - the Gunners picked up maximum 12 points this month and climbed another position in the table - they can also overtake Chelsea in second if they win their game in hand.
Player of the month: Jack Wilshere - 7.82
0 Current first team injuries.

Manchester United
(4th; 52pts; +25) - the Red Devils picked up 9 points this month and slided one position down in the table - they need to take the maximum from their game in hand to remain in contention for the title though as the gap is now up to 10 points!
Player of the month: Marco Verratti - 7.36
1 Current first team injury:
Kyle Walker - 3-4 weeks (strained knee ligaments)

Manchester City
(5th; 49pts; +46) - the Citizens picked up 9 points this month and are three short of a top four position.
Player of the month: Matija Nastasic - 7.80
2 Current first team injuries:
Vincent Kompany - 4-6 weeks (torn knee ligaments)
Dejan Lovren - 6-8 weeks (torn hamstring)

Blackburn
(6th; 48pts; +31) - Rovers picked up 12 points this month and climbed two positions in the table although they are 4 points behind the top four and have played more games than all the teams above them.
Player of the month: Luke Shaw - 7.90
5 Current first team injuries:
Ben Hamer - 4-11 days (broken finger)
Gary Cahill - 3-4 weeks (strained knee ligaments)
Kyriakos Papadopoulos - 1-2 days (groin strain)
Sami Khedira - 5-9 days (groin strain)
Arjen Robben - 4-5 weeks (strained knee ligaments)

Other teams to watch:

Tottenham (7th) - Spurs slide one position down in the table but are still pretty well situated to mount a challenge for European qualification.

Leeds (8th) - the Whites also slided one position in the table but can still challenge for Europe.

Derby County, Bolton and West Ham occupy the bottom three - the former two are still just a win away from safety but the Hammers are now fifteen points adrift and even a miracle can't save them.

January Player of the Month:
Neymar (Chelsea)
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January Young Player of the Month:
Alberto Cerri
(Aston Villa)
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January Manager of the Month:
Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)
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Leading Goalscorers:
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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.

Arsenal - Manchester City
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: I'll back the Gunners here. 2-1.
Mark Lawrenson: I can see a draw in this one. 2-2.

Manchester United - West Ham
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: We should be cruising in this one. 4-0.
Mark Lawrenson: I second that - 4-1.

Chelsea - Derby County
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: This seems like definite home win. 3-0.
Mark Lawrenson: It should be a walk in the park, sorry, Bridge. 4-0.

Everton - Newcastle
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: This one could deliver a shock. 1-1.
Mark Lawrenson: I'll back the Magpies for a win here. 1-3.

Hull - Blackburn
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Uneven game, can't see a surprise. 0-3.
Mark Lawrenson: I agree. 1-2.

Last week, Lawro got four results right, with no perfect scores. His score of 4 was short of the predictions of Tottenham fan Ray Liotta, who scored 5, managing three correct results with one perfect score.

Total scores after Week Twenty Four
Lawro: 104
Guests: 91
 
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Premier League
Round 25

Saturday 4th February 2017:

Arsenal - Manchester City 0-2
Aguero (12), Modric (43)
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Manchester United - West Ham 3-0
Eriksen (12), Henriquez (24), Di Maria (37)
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Everton - Newcastle 1-2
Young (15); Ben Arfa (30), Zouma (56)
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Chelsea - Derby County 1-0
Mata (25)
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Monday 6th February 2017:

Hull - Blackburn 0-2
Kroos (41), Lukaku (45+1)
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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 2016/17 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!

Arsenal - Manchester City
0-2
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Gary Lineker: Arsenal welcomed Man City at the Emirates looking to maintain the 8 point gap to the top and keep their visitors at bay in the fight for top four. The away team could cut the gap to their hosts to just two points with a win. And it was no less than they achieved after Aguero and Modric gave them a comfortable two goal lead in the first half which the Gunners never recovered from.
Alan Hansen: I can't quite say what the Gunners did wrong. They approached the game aggressively and matched their visitors in most of the components but it was a case of the Citizens being just too good on the day. Of course the timing of the goals was very harmful for the home side and they didn't handle it very well mentally but you have to be able to cope with the pressure at this level if you want to compete for the top four. And Arsenal didn't do that despite having home advantage.
Alan Shearer: It was a terrible team display for the Gunners but De Sciglio and Pique were one shade worse than the rest. As for the Citizens Neuer claimed the PoM award for producing four key saves and there were also very good performances from Lahm, Yaya Toure, Nastasic and Aguero.
Gary Lineker: This result throws Arsenal out of the title fight and right in the struggle for top four as the Citizens are now just two points behind them in the table while also boasting a game in hand!
 

Gary Lineker: Good evening and welcome to Match of the Day for our thoughts on the 2016/17 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 - Newcastle
0-2
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Gary Lineker: Old Trafford geared up for the massive clash between Man United and Newcastle as a home win would have allowed the Red Devils to leapfrog Chelsea in second and cut the gap to the top to just two points. The Magpies could have extended their lead at the top at eight ahead of Chelsea and ten ahead of their hosts though. It was the visitors who struck once in each half with Balotelli and Lamela goals to come away with a massive win in the end.
Alan Hansen: It was an untypical game between those two - Man United attacked and Newcastle scored! It's wins in games like that that forge champions and you must say the Magpies look very impressive for it now. Perhaps they were also a little lucky because the Red Devils were simply awful with their shooting and only managed three shots on target but those were all clear-cut chances and they fluffed them!
Alan Shearer: Smalling, Alba, Iniesta and Icardi were all disappointing for the home team. Remy and Peruzzi were the same for the visitors but there were dominant performances from Zouma and Lamela, the latter claiming the PoM award.
Gary Lineker: This unlikely away win makes the title fight a little more boring now with Newcastle way ahead of their opponents - eight points gap to Chelsea and ten to Man United. The Red Devils might find themselves in a struggle to remain in the top four though should Arsenal and Man City win their postponed games.
 
English Title Contenders Cup Watch

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Fifth Round

Saturday 11th February 2017:


Nottingham Forest - Chelsea 1-1
van Wolfswinkel (41); David Luiz (63)
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Manchester United - Fulham 3-1
Icardi (10, 20), Eriksen (42); Rhodes (80)
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Preston - Newcastle 1-7
Ansah (90); Baines (10), Donovan (16, 50), Januzaj (23), Cabaye (40. 73), Remy (87)

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Sunday 12th February 2017:

Aston Villa - Blackburn 2-1
Cerri (3, 49); Sterling (27)

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Manchester City - Swansea 0-1
Powell (90)

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English Title Contenders Cup Watch

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Quarter Final Draw

Newcastle - Aston Villa
Leeds - Swansea
Tottenham - Manchester United
Nottingham Forest/Chelsea - Everton/Crystal Palace
 
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