Manchester United and Chelsea are the two dominant forces of the Premier League era in England.
Chelsea s five titles are the closest number to the 13 United amassed during Alex Ferguson s glorious reign, although the Red Devils have rarely had things all their own way at Stamford Bridge.
As Jose Mourinho prepares to make his latest return to his old stomping ground on Sunday, with Antonio Conte looking to rouse a response form a Chelsea side well-beaten by Roma in midweek, we cast our eye over some titanic tussles in west London.
Chelsea 5-0 Man United, October 1999
United enjoyed a great year in 1999, as they won the treble and went on to go 29 matches unbeaten. But that run came to a rather abrupt end in October.
It took Gus Poyet ju…
Arkadiusz Milik marked his full Napoli debut with a double before Jose Callejon s late brace claimed a 4-2 Serie A victory over nine-man AC Milan.
The former Ajax striker – signed to replace Gonzalo Higuain – opened his Napoli account just 18 minutes into his first start for the club, before adding another with a thumping header just after the half-hour.
With Milan having picked up just two points from their last five trips to Napoli, their prospects seemed bleak, but a whirlwind five minutes early in the second half saw excellent strikes from M Baye Niang and Suso haul Vincenzo Montella s side level, while Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri was sent to the stands for protesting to the officials.
However, Napoli overcame their manager s absence, and found themsel…
Kasper Dolberg described his two-goal haul against Wales as completely crazy after helping to fire Denmark into the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 with a 4-0 win.
The Nice forward scored either side of half-time to put the Danes in control of Saturday s last-16 tie at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, where he previously spent three years with Ajax.
In doing so, Dolberg became only the second Denmark player after Henrik Larsen against the Netherlands in 1992 to score two goals in a knockout game at a major tournament.
Further goals from Joakim Maehle and Martin Braithwaite followed, either side of Harry Wilson s red card, as Kasper Hjulmand s side ran riot in Amsterdam.
Dolberg, who is Denmark s youngest scorer in the knockout stages of the Euros, received the man o…
Luis Enrique defended his decision to start without a recognised striker after Spain required a last-minute goal to snatch a 1-1 draw in Saturday s Nations League clash with Switzerland.
Spain were heading for successive Group A4 defeats before substitute Gerard Moreno struck to cancel out Remo Freuler s first-half opener in a game that saw Sergio Ramos miss two penalties.
Having started with Gerard and Alvaro Morata in Wednesday s 1-1 friendly draw with the Netherlands, Luis Enrique reverted back to his striker-less system at St Jakob-Park by recalling Dani Olmo to lead the line.
It was ultimately Villarreal striker Gerard who made the difference for Spain as he got on the end of Sergio Reguilon s left-sided cross and clinically converted from seven yards out …
Jupp Heynckes believes Clasico heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid are the favourites for Champions League glory along with Paris Saint-Germain, and is keen to avoid comparisons between his current crop at Bayern Munich and the 2013 treble winners.
Bayern entertain Turkish champions Besiktas in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday and Heynckes expects the usual suspects to be in contention come the final reckoning, while he has also been impressed by the performances of the Premier League contingent.
Madrid claimed a 3-1 win over PSG at the Santiago Bernabeu last week to place the reigning champions firmly in control of their tie but Bayern s veteran head coach is not ruling out the big-spending Ligue 1 leaders just yet as he reviews the sides most likely to …
Defending African champions Al Ahly are on the brink of the 2021-22 CAF Champions League final after dominating 10-man ES Setif in a 4-0 first-leg win in the last four.
Setif already had a tough task going away to the 10-time winners of the competition and trailed to Percy Tau s close-ranger header in the 30th minute before the tie took another turn in Al Ahly s favour.
Amir Karaoui was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Hussein El Shahat with 10 minutes of the first half still to play, giving the Algerian side a mountain to climb.
Al Ahly did not immediately punish their opponents, but Taher Mohamed doubled their advantage after 54 minutes when Tau s shot looped up in front of goal.
Tau continued to be involved in all of Al Ahly s best play and fed Mo…
A Segunda Division game on Sunday was suspended at half-time due to chanting aimed at Albacete player Roman Zozulya.
Rayo Vallecano fans aimed chants at the forward during the first half of the game and the referee, Jose Antonio Lopez Toca, opted not to play the second half after a long delay.
Zozulya joined Rayo on loan from Real Betis in 2017 but the move was cut short after supporters protested against the transfer due to alleged far-right links, which the player denied.
A statement released by the league on Sunday backed the referee s decision to stop the match.
LaLiga expresses its agreement with the decision taken by Jose Antonio Lopez Toca, the referee of the match between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete, to suspend the match after serious insults…
Rob Holding has signed a new contract at Arsenal running until June 2024, the Premier League club have confirmed.
The centre-back s terms contain the option to extend for another year and his new deal is a reward for overcoming injury to establish himself as a first-team fixture under Mikel Arteta.
Holding suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament against Manchester United in December 2018 but returned to the fray last season to lift his second FA Cup in Arsenal colours.
The 25-year-old has made 16 appearances so far in 2020-21, taking him to 96 overall for the Gunners, who he joined from Bolton Wanderers in July 2016.
Since I started as manager, I have been hugely impressed with Rob’s contribution to the club and the dressing room, on and off t…
France have confirmed that Kylian Mbappe suffered a broken nose against Austria on Monday but will not need surgery on the injury.
Les Bleus were able to hold onto a 1-0 victory over Ralf Rangnick s side, courtesy of a first-half own goal by Max Wober, who turned in Mbappe s cross.
However, the France captain was involved in an aerial collision with Kevin Danso, hitting his face on the defender s shoulder, and needed lengthy treatment before being forced off in the final minute of normal time.
The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed on Tuesday that Mbappe had broken his nose and would need to wear a mask for the rest of the Euros but no update was given on whether he would be available for their game against the Netherlands on Friday.
He has retur…
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson admits his side are in the thick of a “serious injury crisis” with midfielder Eberechi Eze becoming the latest player set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Eze’s hamstring issue ruled him out of selection for Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad after he featured last month, with the 25-year-old joining an ever-growing list of Palace players unavailable for Saturday’s home encounter with Nottingham Forest.
Despite the latest blow, Hodgson made clear he had no intention of courting pity, pointing to the bigger picture as he sought to assure concerned supporters.
Hodgson said: “There is no sympathy in the world of football for injuries and there is no point seeking sympathy. It happens to all teams.
“We h…