Carlos Tevez score two goals last night as Manchester City brushed Liverpool aside at Eastlands. City won 3 – 0.

James Milner, on his City debut, set up his former Aston Villa team-mate Gareth Barry to side-foot in the first goal in the 13th minute.

And the Argentina striker got on the end of Micah Richards’s header seven minutes into the second half.

Liverpool — without Javier Mascherano amid reports the Argentina international was on his way to Barcelona — saw captain Steven Gerrard hit the post with a powerful shot.

And in the ensuing scramble City goalkeeper Joe Hart made a fine double save to deny both David Ngog and Fernando Torres.

Tevez made the game safe from the penalty spot after Adam Johnson was brought down by Martin Skrtel.

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The summer transfer window has traditionally seen a flurry of activity in the English Premier League. This season though has seen a fairly quite market, especially if you remove Manchester City. The Eastlands side have spent over £ 100 million so far and they’re not quite done yet. Whilst the blue side in Manchester have bought in a dazzling array of talent, the likes of Yaya Toure and David Silva, who has been the best purchase so far? I don’t think it’s been Eastlanders, infact I think they’ve made the worst purchase. The deal that bought in James Milner saw them depart with Stephen Ireland, a fantastic prospect that is yet to reach his potential. Oh and £ 24 million, but it is Manchester City. Their second most expoensive signing, mario Balotelli, will probably be their best buy if Mancini can keep the young Italian disciplined.

Joe Cole was signed by Liverpool on a free and has to be one of the bargains of the window. Even if his wages are some what high, his overall cost to the club is going to be relatively cheap. He’s a fantastically gifted player and if he can remain injury free he’ll certainly help Liverpool push for honours. Another new Liverpool player that may well blossom as the season progresses is Christian Poulsen. The Danish international was an effective contributor as he helped his country qualify for the World Cup and progress to the knock out stages.

I am not one to normally make predictions but I think that Javier Hernandez will be the best buy of the season. The talented youngster is one of many Mexicans now plying his trade in English football. Carlos Vela and Giovanni Dos Santos are the other Mexicans playing in the league, but Hernandez is sure to be the best of them.

Who’s been you’re purchase of the transfer window so far?

Pic : Football 365

Liverpool beat Turkish club Trabzonspor 1 – 0 in the Europa League playoff round first leg at Anfield, with Joe Cole missing a penalty which could’ve helped his side to a better lead.

On a night featuring 35 ties littered with some of the biggest names in European club football and many obscure ones trying to make a name for themselves, Liverpool gained a narrow advantage to take to Turkey next week when the winners on aggregate will move into 48-team group phase.

Italian giants Juventus, who like Liverpool find themselves chasing silverware in the continent’s secondary competition after failing to qualify for the Champions League, sneaked a 2-1 victory in Austria against Sturm Graz.

Porto, CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, Paris St Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Celtic all scored comfortable first leg victories while big-spending Manchester City got their European season up and running with a 1-0 away victory against Romanian side FC Timisoara — Mario Balotelli scoring on his debut after signing last week from Inter Milan.

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Liverpool, Juventus and Manchester City are the three top-rank teams of the Europa League that are hoping to avoid an early blow to their European ambitions on Thursday.

A welter of high-profile clubs from across the continent will compete in the first-leg matches of the tournament’s play-off round, all gunning for one of 37 slots in the group phase alongside defending champions Atletico Madrid.

Roy Hodgson was on the losing side in last year’s final after leading Fulham to a surprise appearance in the decider, but the experienced English coach has since jumped ship to Liverpool.

His new employers continue their assault on this season’s competition against Trabzonspor, and Hodgson said he will select holding midfielder Javier Mascherano to face the Turkish side despite his desire to leave the club.

“Of course I would play him on Thursday,” said Hodgson, whose side drew 1-1 at home to Arsenal in their Premier League opener on Sunday.

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Mark Hughes is set to be unveiled as the new manager of Fulham later today. The ex-Manchester United star was fired as the manager of Manchester City last December after failing to impress the club’s Middle Eastern owners. Fulham have been without a manager for almost a month, hardly a position a Europa league finalist should find themselves in. Roy Hodgson can be forgiven though, when a team like Liverpool come knocking on your door you simply accept no matter the position.

Media reports last week suggested that Martin Jol would be named as the new manager of the West London club after it was revealed to him that he would have limited funds in the transfer market and would have to sell the club’s stars. However the Dutch club have refused to let him go and rightly so. The Dutchman has proven himself in the English Premier League and was just a point short last season of claiming the title for Ajax. “Ajax told me they did not want to let me go and I don’t think I can bring myself to leave Ajax at this time,” he told the club’s official website. “I came here last summer to be successful, to build a good team and to have fun, and those three things are what I am interested in achieving next season.”

Mark Hughes, ‘Sparky’, has done well so far in his managerial career. His first task when he took control of Blackburn in 2004 was to ensure the Rovers avoided relegation. He duly complied and developed his own style that ensured the Lancaster side have remained a regular side in the premier league. Under Hughes the Rovers were accused of being too physical, hopefully he won’t have those accusations this time around when he has technically gifted players such as Clint Dempsey at Fulham.

There will not doubt be pressure on the Welshman to improve upon previous season’s triumphs, Fulham reached the Europe league final last season and the season before they achieved their highest ever position of seventh in the league.

Pic : The Offside

Peter Crouch scored Tottenham Hotspur’s only goal against Manchester City last night to book their spot in next year’s Champions League.

Crouch headed home from close range on 82 minutes after Younes Kaboul had got the better of Craig Bellamy to leave City stunned as their bid to overhaul fourth-placed Tottenham was blown to pieces.

The England striker’s eighth goal of the season could be worth up to £50 million to Tottenham, who are guaranteed to finish at least fourth in the Premier League and can now look forward to competing against Europe’s elite for the first time since the 1961-62 season.

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Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge will face John Terry for the first time time this Saturday at Stamford Bridge since the  fall-out from Terry’s alleged affair with his ex-girlfriend. He has also stated that he does not wish to be chosen for the England World Cup squad.

Bridge released a statement through his lawyers on Thursday, confirming that he does not wish to be selected for Fabio Capello’s squad for this year’s World Cup in South Africa because his presence would be potentially “divisive”.

The former Chelsea left-back has been considering his international future since reports of Terry’s affair with his former partner Vanessa Perroncel, a French underwear model with whom he has a four-year-old child, first came to light.

Terry was stripped of the England captaincy by Capello as a result of the scandal and the Italian had thought Bridge would continue to play for his country.

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Arsenal became the latest member of the Premier League’s elite to suffer an early exit from the FA Cup as Ricardo Fuller’s double strike inspired Stoke’s 3-1 win over the Gunners in the fourth round on Sunday.

Manchester United, humbled by League One Leeds, and Liverpool, shocked by Reading, both perished in the third round and Arsene Wenger’s much-changed side were condemned to an equally chastening defeat at the Britannia Stadium.

After claiming that Arsenal remain vulnerable to physical opponents, Fuller underlined his pre-match jibe by heading the hosts into the lead after 70 seconds.

The Gunners defence, including debutant Sol Campbell, failed to deal with Rory Delap’s trademark long-throw and Fuller nipped in front of hesitant goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to head home from close-range.

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Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez called former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville a “boot-licker” and an “idiot” on Argentinian radio, reigniting the former feud between the two players.

Tevez and Neville exchanged gestures during the clubs’ Carling Cup semi-final clash at Eastlands on Tuesday night after Neville claimed in an interview at the weekend that United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had done the right thing in letting Tevez leave in the summer.

The Argentina forward told ESPN Radio: “In all the press here, Gary Neville came out and stood by Ferguson’s comments, saying that I wasn’t worth £25million.

“I thought he was in the wrong because we were team-mates and I never disrespected him, I always respected him.

“I feel he was a boot-licker when he stood by Ferguson’s comments that I wasn’t worth that money.

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