CSKA sign South Korean midfielder Kim In-Sung

PFC CSKA Moskva have signed 22-year-old South Korean midfielder Kim In-Sung from Gangneung City FC as they prepare to resume their season in Europe and at home.

PFC CSKA Moskva have made their third winter acquisition with the UEFA Champions League contenders bringing in South Korean midfielder Kim In-Sung.

Kim, 22, has signed a 12-month deal with the option of a further two years after helping semi-professional side Gangneung City FC to a third-place finish in South Korea's second division last season, scoring four times in 25 league games. He joins the Army Men's other recent arrivals, Sweden midfielder Pontus Wernbloom and Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa.

CSKA meet Real Madrid CF in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, with the tie kicking off in Moscow on 21 February and concluding at the Santiago Bernabéu on 14 March. They resume their Russian Premier-Liga campaign – they sit second, six points adrift of leaders FC Zenit St Petersburg – in March.

uefa.com

Lombaerts celebrates Zenit's historic achievement

Nicolas Lombaerts set his sights on prolonging a "magnificent season" as FC Zenit St Petersburg celebrated the 0-0 draw at FC Porto that took them through to the last 16 for the first time.,

Nicolas Lombaerts betrayed some sympathy for FC Porto, but could not hide his glee after FC Zenit St Petersburg survived an onslaught to claim their place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

The cheers echoing around the underground car park at the Estádio do Dragão spoke volumes for satisfied visitors as Zenit prepared for the long journey home from Portugal in high spirits. With their place in next Friday's knockout stage draw secured and six points clear at their domestic summit, the Russian champions have plenty to nourish them as they start an extended winter break.

"It's the first time we've got through to the last 16 so it's truly historic," beamed Lombaerts. The Belgian international, part of a determined rearguard action that lasted most of the 90 minutes, felt pity for the vanquished Portuguese title holders: his team-mates' cries of delight were, he said, partly born of relief.

"It was very difficult today," he told UEFA.com. "They were better than us, and deserved to win, but that's football. We played like that against APOEL [FC on matchday five, drawing 0-0], so we are just very happy today." The 26-year-old reserved special praise for goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev: "He saved us. He played a magnificent match."

Wave after wave of attack broke in the Zenit penalty area but as the wash receded Malafeev was always there, an impenetrable barrier. Porto's Nicolás Otamendi, for one, was at a loss. "We did everything we could to get the win," he said. "We knew Zenit would play an intelligent game, giving nothing away and playing on the counterattack. We created lots of chances to score but had no luck."

Even if elimination is difficult to swallow, Otamendi did share his coach Vítor Pereira's view that the opportunity to defend the UEFA Europa League title they won with such elan last season is a consolation. "We have to think about the rest of the year," he said. "We have to approach the Europa League as we did this match, with maximum effort and together, as a group."

Team-mate Hulk shared Otamendi's positive outlook. "It is disappointing as we played our best game of the season, in a collective sense," he said, "It was nice to see the fans applauding our efforts, gratifying – it's just a pity the applause wasn't for victory."

Zenit will also accept their supporters' acclaim, as they look to new horizons. The transitional Premier-Liga season means there is still some way to go in their domestic campaign. "The season is normally finished now but we have 12 matches to go in the league," said Lombaerts.

"We're top, six points clear; we could be champions again, we could get to the [UEFA Champions League] quarter-finals. Anything is possible. It has been a magnificent season." And it is not over yet.

uefa.com

Wigan Athletic 0 v Manchester City 1: match report

WIGAN ATHLETIC 0 - 1 MANCHESTER CITY

Monday, January 16 20:00

Premier League

DW Stadium

Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Wigan Athletic and Manchester at DW Stadium on Monday Jan 16, 2012.

Winner: Edin Dezko's goal was enough to ensure Manchester City took three points against Wigan Photo: ACTION IMAGES

This was winning ugly. This was the type of gritty, defensively resolute display that title campaigns are built on. If Manchester City’s players find themselves on an open-top bus in May with the Premier League trophy on the dashboard and a song on their lips, they will look back warmly on events here not for aesthetic reasons but for three Premier League points and one of the psychological variety.

City had found themselves assailed with questions in recent weeks, with critics wondering whether they ­possess the stomach for the fight. The league is not the adrenalin dash of a successful Cup run. The league involves relentless endeavour, 38 games of concentration and strong nerves.

The old canard of “how will they cope with a cold January night in Wigan” was thrown at City. And they answered it. Roberto Martínez’s side threw everything at them, particularly late on. They dealt with it. When the excellent Victor Moses started running at them, Joe Hart and Joleon Lescott stood firm.

City’s victory, their first on the road in the league since fireworks were lighting up the sky, was achieved without some famous names, absent through injury, suspension or Africa Cup of Nations’ duty. Missing luminaries from Mario Balotelli to Yaya Touré, Micah Richards to Vincent Kompany, City found inspiration from other quarters.

Edin Dzeko scored, heading in his first goal since that Nov 5 win at Loftus Road. Gareth Barry was outstanding in central midfield, making some crucial interceptions when Wigan attempted to whip up a storm.

Telegraph.co.uk

Liverpool vs Newcastle

• Venue: Anfield
• Date: Friday, 30 December
• Kick-off: 1945 GMT
• Coverage: Watch live on Sky Sports 1; highlights on Saturday's Football Focus; listen on BBC Radio 5 live and local radio; text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles

Demba Ba, who has scored 14 league goals this season, will be fit to play

TEAM NEWS

Liverpool will be without striker Luis Suarez, who serves a one-match ban after accepting an FA improper conduct charge.

Captain Steven Gerrard, who returned from a two-month lay-off on Boxing Day, is likely to again start on the bench.

Newcastle striker Demba Ba is available despite suffering a knock to his knee at Bolton.

Davide Santon has recovered from injury, while Dan Gosling is back after completing a three-match ban.

MATCH PREVIEW

Immediately this fixture conjures up memories of one of the greatest matches of the Premier League era. I was lucky enough to be at Anfield 15 years ago to witness Liverpool's dramatic 4-3 win, a scoreline they recorded again in the corresponding fixture the following season. Robbie Fowler scored four times in those two encounters and you can't help thinking how the current Liverpool team could do with the natural finishing and predatory instincts that he possessed.

Continue reading the main story

Liverpool have a fantastic home record against Newcastle - they need to finally convert those chances and make sure that continues

On Boxing Day, I watched them yet again squander chances as they could only draw with Blackburn, and with Luis Suarez suspended for this game, goalscoring will be a concern for the Reds.

Incredibly, the Premier League's bottom two (Blackburn and Bolton) have scored more league goals than Kenny Dalglish's team. In fact, Liverpool have now let slip 12 points at home from nine league matches, and despite being unbeaten at Anfield, they can't afford that to continue. I'm sure the frustration has increased having seen Chelsea and Arsenal drop points at home so far over the holiday period.

It's a little over 12 months since I commentated on Alan Pardew's first match in charge of Newcastle - a 3-1 home win over Liverpool. Many will remember that Andy Carroll was outstanding that day and scored the third goal - Liverpool fans will be hoping he gets a run in their team and rediscovers some of that form as quickly as possible.

While all the talk since his departure has been of a new centre-forward on Tyneside, you have to give immense credit to the way Demba Ba has fitted in. He may not have been the big name most fans were calling for but 14 goals in his last 13 league starts is a record any of their previous strikers would have been proud of.

It's testament to the job that Pardew has done since that first victory that he goes into this match just a point behind Liverpool. Their win at Bolton was vital after a run of only two points from eighteen. Liverpool have a fantastic home record against Newcastle - they need to finally convert those chances and make sure that continues.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Newcastle have only beaten Liverpool once at Anfield in the Premier League, back in April 1994.
• The Reds have won their last three matches against Newcastle at Anfield 3-0.
• Liverpool have won eight of their past 10 Premier League meetings, Newcastle have won two.
• Newcastle have not scored at Anfield since 19 December 2004.

Liverpool

• Liverpool have drawn six of their nine Premier League matches at Anfield this season - five of which have ended 1-1.
• They have failed to score more than once in their last six matches at home.
• Maxi Rodriguez has scored 11 goals in his last 12 starts in all competitions for Liverpool and nine in his last nine Premier League matches.

Bolton

• Newcastle ended a run of six Premier League matches without a victory by beating Bolton.
• The Magpies have lost four of their last seven league games. In the 11 matches previous to that, they were unbeaten.
• Hatem Ben Arfa scored only his second ever Premier League goal against Bolton.

bbc.co.uk

Preview:

Crystal Palace 1 - 0 Birmingham

Palace's Kagisho Dikgacoi is congratulated after scoring his first league goal

Crystal Palace earned their first home win since October with a hard-fought victory over Birmingham.

Kagisho Dikgacoi scored the winner with seven minutes to go with a near-post header from a Darren Ambrose cross.
Until Dikgacoi's intervention it was the goalkeepers who were on top. Palace's Julian Speroni pulled off a top class save from Stephen Caldwell.
And Boaz Myhill dived full-length to palm out Aussie Mile Jedinak's stinging 25-yard volley in the first-half.
Carling Cup semi-finalists Palace had lost just one of their 10 home games this season while Birmingham had been beaten in six of their 10 away games so far.
Ambrose returned to the starting line up for Palace to replace suspended teenage winger
Wilfried Zaha and the Blues welcomed back skipper Stephen Carr.
Match Fact
Birmingham have not won on the road since their visit to Bristol City on 23 October
The game sprung into life after 20 minutes when Birmingham midfielder Nathan Redmond let fly from outside the box.
His stunning drive caught Speroni off guard but the Palace keeper managed to scramble the ball away for a corner.
Two minutes later and it was Blues' keeper Myhill who was put to the test, pulling off a brilliant reflex save from Jedinak.
Palace kept up the pressure and only an expertly-timed tackle from David Murphy prevented Nathaniel Clyne opening the scoring after a clever one-two with Sean Scannell.
Jedinak went in the book for unsporting behaviour just before half-time but Murphy's free-kick went straight into the hands of Speroni.
Davies received a yellow after 65 minutes for bringing down Scannell on the edge of the box. Ambrose lined up the free-kick but his right-foot shot went straight into the wall.
Palace were camped in the Birmingham box for most of the second half, and Paddy McCarthy thumped the ball against the side of the post.
And their pressure paid off in the 83rd minute when Ambrose curled in a precision cross from the right.
Dikgacoi outjumped the defence on the edge of the near-post goal area to direct the ball over the helpless Myhill.
Crystal Palace manager Dougie Freedman:
"It was a fantastic header and Darren put in a fantastic cross.
"Everyone understands the game plan, we've no big stars, no heroes, we win and lose together and tonight underlined that.
"We kept on plugging away, we refused to let one in our net and we had the desire to put one in Birmingham's net."
Birmingham manager Chris Hughton:
"In the last 20 minutes I still thought we would get a draw at least. It could have gone either way.
"We have gone through a lot of games in a short period of time, but these are the things we need to get on with.
"Over the 90 minutes I thought we deserved to get more out of the game. But we didn't defend their opportunity well enough."

bbc.co.uk

St Johnstone 0 - 2 Celtic

Ki scored the second goal to end Saints' hopes at McDiarmid Park 

Celtic overpowered St Johnstone with two second-half goals enough to earn a win that keeps the pressure on Scottish Premier League leaders Rangers.

A superb save from Saints goalkeeper Peter Enckelman denied Gary Hooper from the best chance of the first half.
But Hooper was not to be denied again and he prodded home from close range following a 60th-minute corner.
Ki Sung-Yeung fired in after a quick break four minutes later to reduce the gap with Rangers to four points.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon's victory in his head-to-head with former Northern Ireland team-mate Steve Lomas meant his side secured a seventh straight league win and condemned Saints to a third consecutive home defeat.
Lennon unsurprisingly stuck with the same starting line-up that gave Serie A high-flyers Udinese a fright in the Europa League in midweek.
Hooper (left) opened the scoring for Celtic in Perth With Anthony Stokes out injured, Hooper and Georgios Samaras continued their partnership up front and both were quickly involved.
A Hooper header looped wide, while Enckelman had to beat away a powerful long-range effort from the in-form Greece international.
Saints were denied the services of former Scotland left-back Callum Davidson through illness and the continued absence of injured strike duo Francisco Sandaza and Cillian Sheridan meant Marcus Haber was left on his own up front.
Lomas played safe by dropping Sam Parkin to the bench and packing his midfield with the introduction of David Robertson and Kevin Moon.
Robertson was left dazed following a hefty challenge by Daniel Majstorovic after 30 minutes.
However, it was the Celtic defender who came off worse and immediately went off injured sporting what looked like a rapidly developing black eye after heading the back of the midfielder's skull.
Before the Swede could be replaced with Thomas Rogne, Enckelman had denied Hooper with a superb, instinctive one-handed save following the striker's shot from point-blank range.
Robertson only lasted another eight minutes and was replaced by Carl Finnigan, the former Falkirk forward giving the Perth side some additional threat up front.
Haber's pace threatened early on, but he had become an increasingly isolated figure as Celtic dominated possession.
However, a curling Mulgrew free-kick and a Victor Wanyama back-header that flew into the arms of Enckelman were the only other efforts on target as the first half ended goalless.
Saints had failed to create a single chance during the first 45 minutes but forced two quick corners after the break and Dave Mackay, who scored their winner against Celtic in Glasgow, forced goalkeeper Fraser Forster into a good near-post save with a low drive from just outside the box.
Celtic winger James Forrest, virtually anonymous in the first half, also burst into life but should have done better than volley over from eight yards.
Saints had come out with more attacking intent, but that only presented Celtic with more space to exploit and Enckelman did well to beat away a Hooper shot on the turn from a Scott Brown cross.
The pressure eventually told and Hooper stabbed the ball over the line from four yards after a goalmouth scramble resulting from an inswinging corner.
Saints were presented with an immediate chance to equalise, but when Liam Craig's free-kick on the edge of the box was charged down, Celtic broke clear to score again.
Forrest played a one-two with Samaras before firing a low ball across the face of goal for Ki to fire home from 12 yards off the despairing Enckelman.
Samaras mis-hit in front of goal, but Saints also went close to pulling a goal back when Haber pounced on a Wanyama mistake and forced Forster into a near-post save.

By Clive Lindsay

bbc.co.uk

Tottenham 1 - 0 Sunderland

 

Pavlyuchenko showed great composure to earn Tottenham victory 

Substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko's cool second-half strike was enough to see off Sunderland and send Tottenham up to third spot in the Premier League table.

Rafael van der Vaart and Sandro wasted chances as Spurs's early dominance went unrewarded in an absorbing encounter.
The Black Cats responded and Sebastian Larsson and David Vaughan both tested home keeper Brad Friedel.
But Pavlyuchenko hit a deserved winner low into the far corner from a wonderful Van der Vaart pass.
Luka Modric then offered a late contender for miss of the year when he somehow shot over with the goal gaping.
But his glaring error did not matter as Tottenham closed out their sixth successive home victory with relative ease.
The win was all the more impressive given the home side's injury problems.
Already without attacking duo Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale, they also lost Bale's fellow flying winger Aaron Lennon to a hamstring strain after 30 minutes.
And although they continued to threaten and look dangerous, Lennon's departure and Bale's absence meant Spurs were deprived of their most potent attacking option.
Modric and Van der Vaart provided their usual class and creativity but Harry Redknapp's team were deprived of their main cutting edge and blistering pace in wide positions.
By the time Lennon was replaced by Pavlyuchenko, Spurs should probably have been ahead.
Van der Vaart deflected Benoit Assou-Ekotto's driven shot wide when it seemed easier to turn it into the back of the net and then Sandro scuffed his shot badly after being played in by Van der Vaart, as Spurs failed to make the most of several promising positions.
The Black Cats seemed to grow in confidence following Lennon's exit and had the better of the latter stages of the first period.
Kieran Richardson tested keeper Friedel with a low, long range-strike and then, moments later, narrowly failed to get on the end of the best move of the half.
Stephane Sessegnon set Larsson free down the right and the Swede's cross was just behind Richardson as he steamed in towards goal.
Larsson then tested Brad Friedel with a firmly struck 25-yard free-kick, as the game really began to spark into life.
Wales international Vaughan, who was involved in a fascinating midfield tussle with the ever-impressive Scott Parker, then worked the American keeper again with a shot having charged forward from the halfway line.
And moments later, Jack Colback was crowded out when through on goal.
But seconds after Colback failed to get a shot away Spurs broke the deadlock when Pavlyuchenko, who had looked a little off the pace, provided a fine low finish across keeper Keiren Westwood from a sublime reverse pass from Van der Vaart.
The Russian's calm finish settled Tottenham's nerves and they should have added a second in the final 30 minutes.
Modric fluffed a staggeringly easy chance to double the lead when he shot over rather than into an unguarded net from 12 yards, after Westwood saved Emmanuel Adebayor's initial chipped effort.
Pavlyuchenko also dithered and failed to get a shot away and also shot wide, while Adebayor poked an effort straight at Westwood when well placed.
Sunderland substitute Nicklas Bendtner had the visitors' only noteworthy late chance, but blazed wildly off target after a neat one-two with Sessegnon.
The win sees the hosts move two points ahead of fourth-placed Chelsea, with the west Londoners next to visit White Hart Lane on Thursday.
Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill:
"The players put in a big effort so there is a big disappointment all round. It was a real valiant effort although when Tottenham got their goal their confidence came back and they could have put the game beyond us.
"It's a tough business and we were playing against a very good side but I never thought we were out of the game.
"You would say they had a number of chances after the goal but up until then it was touch and go.
"I thought the effort was great and when we had an opportunity to try to play, the players tried to do that.
"While it was very, very tight we always had a chance but they took their chance. It's fine margins."

bbc.co.uk