Chelsea endured a third successive goalless draw in an enthralling encounter against excellent 10-man Leicester.

Antonio Conte had been wary of the Foxes and his concern proved well founded as the movement and energy of Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki troubled Chelsea.

Leicester were relentless, playing like champions, with the intensity of their pressing forcing mistakes, but Ben Chilwell was sent off for two bookable offences in quick succession, leaving the visitors down to 10 men with 22 minutes remaining.

Yet still Chelsea, who had won their previous seven Premier League home games since September’s loss to Manchester City, could not break the Foxes down as the Blues followed stalemates with Norwich and Arsenal with a third in a week.

Crystal Palace 1-0 Burnley

Crystal Palace took a further step towards Premier League survival with a 1-0 victory over Burnley which extended the visitors’ winless run to seven games.

The Clarets climbed to fourth with victory over Stoke last month but have struggled to impress since, and came up short again against a Palace side missing eight first-team regulars.

A second goal in two games from Bakary Sako was enough to secure the three points for the Eagles that would take the hosts up to 12th, and into serious contention for a top-10 finish having looked like near-certainties for relegation a few weeks ago.

Huddersfield 1-4 West Ham United

Manuel Lanzini fired a second-half double as West Ham won 4-1 at Huddersfield for their biggest win of the season.

Lanzini, whose only previous goal this campaign was in November, scored twice in five minutes during an impressive second period for the Hammers, who climbed above Huddersfield in the Premier League table.

Mark Noble’s opener for the London side was cancelled out before the interval by Huddersfield midfielder Joe Lolley, but the outstanding Marko Arnautovic struck within 30 seconds of the restart and then provided assists for both Lanzini’s efforts.

Newcastle United 1-1 Swansea City

Joselu came off the bench to drag Newcastle out of even deeper relegation trouble and deny Swansea a major boost to their Premier League survival hopes.

The former Stoke striker stabbed home a 68th-minute equaliser just four minutes after his introduction to cancel out Jordan Ayew’s opener.

Newcastle dominated the first half, but squandered a series of chances and might have conceded a penalty before Ayew struck.

But on a day when defeat was simply not an option, they fought back to snatch a 1-1 draw which at least prevented bottom-of-the table Swansea from collecting three points for just the third time in 15 attempts.

Watford 2-2 Southampton

Abdoulaye Doucoure’s controversial last-gasp equaliser denied Southampton a first win in 10 matches.

The midfielder diverted the ball in with his arm a minute before full-time as Watford came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw.

James Ward-Prowse had scored twice in the first half before Andre Gray pulled one back – and Saints were crestfallen when Doucoure’s equaliser was allowed to stand.

He stooped to nod into the net – but the ball missed his head and he swept it home with his arm.

Southampton protested long and hard to referee Roger East but to no avail, with a draw leaving them just one point above the relegation zone.

West Brom 2-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

West Brom’s long wait for a Premier League win finally ended as Brighton were beaten 2-0 at The Hawthorns.

Jonny Evans’ early header set Albion on their way to halting a 20-game run stretching back to August, with fellow defender Craig Dawson heading in a second goal at the start of the second half.

The result will also have been a weight off Alan Pardew’s shoulders as it gave him that elusive first league victory since he took over as manager nine matches ago at the start of December.

Read more at https://talksport.com/football/premier-league-results-chelsea-held-leicester-west-ham-thump-huddersfield-and-watford-come#dcJQe4jGjKBqZ6xi.99

Premier League results in full:

Chelsea 0-0 Leicester City

Crystal Palace 1-0 Burnley

Huddersfield 1-4 West Ham United

Newcastle United 1-1 Swansea City

Watford 2-2 Southampton

West Brom 2-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

–

Source: Talksport

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But plans for a £1bn new stadium are being held up by one family over their right to light – and the lack of it shining into their home when the new Stamford Bridge is built.

The Crosthwaites have lived in their west London cottage for 50 years and it is so close to the Premier League club’s ground that you could almost kick a football from their doorstep onto the pitch.

The family – made up of parents Lucinda and Nicolas, plus children Louis and Rose – took out an injunction in May over their belief the towering new 60,000-capacity stadium will cast a permanent shadow over parts of their home.

The new stadium was granted planning permission one year ago and has been signed off by the Mayor of London, but Chelsea have called on the local council to intervene and take advantage of planning laws to stop the injunction effectively ending the planned development.

Hammersmith and Fulham councillors are meeting on Monday to decide what happens next.

Billionaire Abramovich is a man who usually gets what he wants, but the dispute has already put the brakes on the project’s investment and there is a risk that Europe’s most expensive stadium may not even get built.

The club have told the local council that work cannot go ahead while there remains a risk the injunction could successfully stop the development. And the council says if it does not act to help Chelsea the “development would not proceed as proposed”.

What’s the family’s argument?

The Crosthwaites own a large house in an expensive part of west London – a three-bedroom property on the same street sold for £1.18m last year.

Chelsea’s offer of legal advice worth £50,000, and further compensation understood to be in the region of a six-figure sum could not persuade them to waive their ‘right to light’ in their home.

Daughter Rose says their home is the nearest property to the new stadium. And even though it’s on the other side of a railway from Stamford Bridge – and in a different borough – she says that “sunlight and daylight will be seriously affected”.

“It is deemed as having an unacceptable and harmful impact by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,” she added in a recent letter as part of the case.

The family have said via their lawyers they are not opposed to the redevelopment of the stadium, but have suggested the east stand in question could be “cut-back or re-designed so as not to cause interference”.

And they have highlighted a “disproportionate amount of hospitality seating” which takes up more space than normal seating.

They say there will be almost 17,000 hospitality seats, 28% of the total, and compare that to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium where hospitality comprises 16% of the capacity.

The family also believe Chelsea’s attempt to effectively sidestep the injunction with the help of Hammersmith and Fulham council is not in the public interest and possibly illegal.

Their house sits in the neighbouring Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which they say has been firmly opposed to the development.

How have Chelsea responded?

Premier League champions Chelsea have outlined that the planning and development of their new stadium has been above board on every aspect.

A public consultation of 13,000 local residents earned 97.5% support, and they have paid compensation to other homeowners who have been affected by losing their ‘right to light’.

Chelsea also claim that the new stadium will “further enhance the economic, cultural and social services they provide”, including £6m worth of educational programmes, a £7m improvement to local infrastructure and an additional £16.3m spent in local businesses as 2.4 million people visit the area annually.

That forms the key argument in the part of the law being disputed – section 203 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Chelsea say the land can be compulsorily acquired by the council – and override the injunction – if Hammersmith and Fulham think it would contribute to the economic, environmental or social wellbeing of the area.

The club also says it will lease the land off the council and cover any liabilities or costs.

The family’s lawyers say the council can purchase land “which they require” but ask whether it is “convenient” rather than “indispensable”.

Which way is the council heading?

Hammersmith and Fulham council accepts that acquiring the land should only be done where necessary to allow beneficial regeneration to take place and be sure that it justifies interfering with the human rights of those affected.

A report for councillors, drawn up by head of planning and regeneration John Finlayson and to be discussed on Monday, recommends that the council buys the land (owned by Chelsea and Network Rail) and leases it back to the club so that development can go ahead.

As it stands, the club “will not be able to implement the development or secure any necessary development financing whilst there remains a risk that the existing injunctive proceedings might succeed”, the report warns.

Finlayson’s report adds: “There is a compelling case in the public interest for the council to acquire the land for planning purposes and enable the development to proceed and the public benefits to be realised.”

Without the council exercising its statutory powers, though, the “development would not proceed as proposed” it warns.

It is understood that should the council decide to pursue the purchase, the Crosthwaite family will seek further legal advice – so the case may yet still run.

Chelsea’s battle for a new home

Abramovich has wanted to increase Chelsea’s stadium capacity for several years but was thwarted in his previous attempts to buy Battersea Power Station, ultimately losing out to property developers.

If successful, the Blues would not be able to move until their new home until the 2024-25 season, yet it would at last put them in line with their main London rivals.

Eleven years ago, Arsenal built the 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium, in 2016 West Ham moved to the 57,000-capacity Olympic Stadium, and Tottenham are redeveloping their White Hart Lane ground at the moment.

The 41,000-capacity Stamford Bridge is the seventh biggest stadium used by a Premier League team, well behind Manchester United’s 75,500-seater Old Trafford.

Chelsea are yet to find a temporary home for the four years it might take to build the new stadium, but Wembley Stadium is being considered as a possible option.

–

Source: BBC

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Crystal Palace secured an unlikely victory over champions Chelsea to register their first points and goals of the season.

Roy Hodgson’s men came into the clash with renewed hope, following the return of star man Wilfried Zaha, and his inclusion proved pivotal.

Cesar Azpilicueta’s own-goal gave the Eagles the lead before Tiemoue Bakayoko equalised for the visitors with a measured header.

But Zaha’s goal just before the half time interval ensured Hodgson’s men got their season up and running at long last.

Manchester City 7-2 Stoke City

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City showed their attacking prowess as they thrashed Stoke at the Etihad Stadium.

Two goals from Gabriel Jesus, as well as strikes from Raheem Sterling, David Silva, Fernandinho, Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva, blew the Potters away.

The victory leaves the Citizens two points clear at the top of the table, following Manchester United’s goalless draw against Liverpool.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 AFC Bournemouth

Tottenham collected their first Premier League victory at Wembley Stadium after edging past Bournemouth.

Christian Eriksen’s early second half goal proved to be the difference between the two sides as Mauricio Pochettino’s side shook off their unwanted record at the national stadium.

The win keeps Spurs within five points of leaders Manchester City.

Other results

Burnley 1-1 West Ham United

Swansea City 2-0 Huddersfield Town
–

Source: Talksport

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The Eagles paid for slack defending in just the sixth minute when a Dusan Tadic cross-shot was parried to the feet of Steven Davis, who side-footed home from 10 yards.

Palace’s direct approach was contained for the most part, though Saints keeper Fraser Forster did have to make point-blank saves to deny Christian Benteke and Jason Puncheon either side of half-time.

His resistance meant the hosts set a new top-flight record as they surpassed the 438 minutes Newcastle went without a goal at the start of the 2005-06 season.

Palace did not offer enough and allowed the away side to keep possession too easily as they secured a first win since 19 August.

Saints introduced Virgil van Dijk from the bench late on, the defender making his first appearance since declaring he wanted to leave in the summer.

His impact was minimal as his side easily saw out the closing stages with Palace resorting to hopeful crosses and long balls, as they had for much of the afternoon.

–

Source: BBC

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According to Cecil Sunkwa Mills the General Manager for MultiChoice Ghana, “we have dropped the HD Zapper decoder price by almost 60% and with the current family holiday season coinciding with fresh kids programmes and international and local series, the return of the international tennis and with the soccer season around the corner, the best time to get an HD decoder is now.”

He explained that as a customer-focused organization, the reduction is to help make quality entertainment more accessible and affordable for all. The new decoder price is GHs149.

The reduction in decoder price took effect from the 4th of July and is available at all branches and dealerships around the country.

The promotion comes with a one-month viewing of the Access bouquet, dish kit and installation.

DStv has five packages namely Access, Family, Compact, Compact Plus and Premium from which subscribers can choose; with monthly subscription starting from GHS 50 a month.

Viewers will have access to local telenovela, world class sport and all the latest global blockbuster movies.

This month, premium subscribers will be seeing the return of Game of Thrones, Season 7, new seasons of NCIS and Suits, amongst others.

Mr. Sunkwa Mills said “customers are at the heart of all our decisions; we fully appreciate the rich taste for quality entertainment and the pressures they face thus fueling the changes we have announcing”. He urged customers to visit any DStv dealer countrywide to purchase a decoder at this new price.

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Mauricio Pochettino selected Heung-min Son to lead the Spurs attack in the absence of his key man and the alteration translated into three points as Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli flourished at White Hart Lane.

Spurs got the ball rolling when Moussa Dembele turned his marker, before slipping in Eriksen to take aim on goal. And the Dane collected the ball seamlessly, finding the far corner with an arrowed finish.

Alli, at his menacing best, was pulling the Saints defence wherever he pleased, and a careless tackle by Steven Davis gifted the hosts a chance to double their lead from the penalty spot.

After being clipped in the box, Alli took responsibility from the spot as he sent Fraser Forster the wrong way, leaving Spurs in total command.

But Southampton should have had a penalty of their own on the stroke of half time as Ben Davies clattered into Dusan Tadic when attempting to clear his lines.

The Welsh international, deputising for the injured Danny Rose, gave Tadic an almighty whack in the thigh, but referee Andre Marriner judged the incident to be accidental and not worthy of a whistle.

Claude Puel’s side, however, were the benefactors of an uncharacteristic mistake from former defender Toby Alderweireld, as James Ward-Prowse capitalised at the back post following good work from Ryan Bertrand early in the second half.

The Saints pressed for a second but Pochettino’s men showed why they have the joint-best defensive record in the league, as they held out for a 10th consecutive home league win at White Hart Lane.

–

Source: Talksport

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Dawson capitalised on some awful defending from the Gunners to head both of his goals from corners – the first to give the Baggies the lead, the second to seal their win.

Arsenal had initially rallied after falling behind, levelling through Alexis Sanchez’s close-range finish – the Chilean forward’s 18th goal of the season.

However, they fell behind again 10 minutes into the second half when substitute Hal Robson-Kanu rolled the ball home with only his second touch after coming on.

Arsenal, who lost goalkeeper Petr Cech to injury, were outfought and unable to rally a second time, their challenge wilting soon after Danny Welbeck’s header from a corner struck the crossbar.

It was an eventful encounter, both on the pitch and above it as two planes pulling banners – one pro-Arsene Wenger and the other against the Arsenal boss – made circles around The Hawthorns.

It was the anti-Wenger camp who were most present and vocal by the end, though, holding aloft banners declaring ‘Enough is enough’ and booing their beleaguered manager’s decision to substitute Sanchez with 12 minutes remaining.

Wenger’s future beyond the end of this season remains unknown, but the facts are these – Arsenal trail fourth place by five points (albeit with a game in hand).

They must arrest a run that has seen them win just one of their last five league games if they are to continue their proud record of finishing in the top four in each of Wenger’s 20 seasons at the club so far.

–

Source: BBC

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United won 13 Premier League titles under Ferguson, but Mourinho says it is now impossible to be so dominant.

Asked if he could return the club to its former greatness, the Portuguese said: “Forget it.

“Don’t try to go 10, 20 years ago because it is not possible any more.”

In a wide-ranging interview with Gary Lineker for the Premier League Show, Mourinho also said:

• United do not need to qualify for the Champions League to attract top players.
• He would not have sold forwards Angel di Maria, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck had he been United manager.
• It has not been easy for midfielder Paul Pogba to adjust back to English football.

‘We are not ready to be Manchester United’

Mourinho, 54, signed a three-year contract last May to replace Louis van Gaal, who was sacked despite winning the FA Cup.

The Red Devils have finished seventh, fourth and fifth in the three full seasons since Ferguson’s retirement, and have been in sixth place since 6 November.

Mourinho does not believe a return to winning the Premier League every year is close, but does not want the season to peter out after winning the EFL Cup last month.

“We are not ready to be Manchester United,” he said.

“We are not ready to be a dominant force. We are not ready to try and win everything.

“Because of the nature of the club, and of myself, we are ready to fight for every game, every point. But there is a space between the general ambition of such a giant club and what we are in reality.”

Mourinho said United – who beat Premier League champions Leicester City in the Community Shield in August – had won “one and a half” trophies this season.

“Many other teams in England are going to finish the season without a trophy,” he said. “But we have to fight for the top four, we have to fight for the Champions League. The cup is not enough to say that the season is over.”

‘I found a sad club’

Since Mourinho took charge, United have spent an estimated £150m on midfielders Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and defender Eric Bailly, and brought in striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for free.

But the Portuguese said the club’s previous transfer dealings caused him concern.

He named three forwards – PSG’s Angel di Maria, Bayer Leverkusen’s Javier Hernandez and Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck – as players he would not have sold.

“I found a sad club,” he said. “Manchester United sold players that I would never sell, bought players that I would never buy.”

Mourinho would not name the players he would not have signed, but in January he allowed midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and forward Memphis Depay to leave for Everton and Lyon respectively.

He has largely frozen out former Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and has handed just seven league starts to left-back Luke Shaw, who cost £27mfrom Southampton in 2014.

Mourinho said he was not worried about attracting players if United fail to qualify for the Champions League, pointing to last summer as proof the club can still sign the best players.

“Manchester United is very powerful, it doesn’t need to be in the Champions League to attract the best players,” he said.

“Zlatan could still be in Paris. Mkhitaryan could be at Borussia Dortmund. Pogba could be at Juventus. We were able to attract the players because they know that Manchester United sooner or later will get there.

“If any player decides not to come because of that, then I am happy that they are not coming.”

‘Pogba doesn’t disappoint me at all’

Pogba, 24, has scored seven goals since joining United for a world-record £89m last summer, but has been criticised for a perceived lack of impact in matches.

Mourinho says the France international will improve.

“It isn’t easy for Pogba,” he said.

“The country is so different to Italian football. It is hard for him. I’m not disappointed at all. The most important thing is his personality. He is professional and he will improve for sure.”

Mourinho also praised the contribution of 35-year-old Ibrahimovic, who has scored 26 goals this season.

“Zlatan is not a surprise for me,” he said. “I know the personality, I know the body, I know the ambition that brought him here.

“Could he do it in the best league in the world? He has done it everywhere else. He’s doing amazingly well.”

–

Source: BBC

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This is part of the measures the Police Command is adopting to reduce robberies in the region.

The Police Command complained that the high rate of armed robbery is making the region very unpopular and the Ashanti Regional Minister recently described the region as a hub for armed robbers.

Speaking at a meeting with all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Police Commanders, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Nathan Kofi Boakye said his outfit will not tolerate any excuse for the occurrence of robberies.

He noted that most of the robbery cases are recorded before and after major market days in the region “and so why can’t we prevent it?”

“From today, no excuse will be taken,” he warned.

DCOP Boakye noted that the District Assemblies have a role to play in the fight against armed robbery because “after all, the District Chief Executives and the Municipal Chief Executives are the chairmen of the Security Councils in their various jurisdictions.”

He charged al Police Officers to meet their respective MDCEs to draw workable operation plans to effective fight the menace.

By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @osamidan

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The incident is purported to have happened on Tuesday morning when a truck loaded with rice and sugar heading from Accra to Kumasi got shot into at Dadieso by a group of Fulani Herdsmen who ambushed the track

This incident adds up to the soaring cases of armed robbery attacks in the Ashanti Region.

The Regional Minister, Mr. Samuel Sarpong has described the region as an area with the highest record of armed robbery activities in the country.

Speaking to Citi News,  the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Tanko disclosed the Police were making frantic efforts to close in on the perpetrators of the crime.“We have not been able to arrest them Immediately after the robbery the bolted  into the bush according to the victims”

Narrating the incident to Citi News ASP Mohammed Tanko disclosed that,  “we spent almost 2 hours roaming to see if they could track the robbers but it yielded no result. As I speak to you there is a funded effort to have them arrested. But we believe they came from Nkawkaw or perhaps the surrounding villages to commit this particular crime.”

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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