Chelsea Warned About Fellaini

Chelsea will have to be wary of the danger posed by the in-form Marouane Fellaini when Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday, according to his teammates Ashley Young and Chris Smalling.

Fellaini has played a key role in United's run of six straight league wins and the towering Belgium midfielder received a standing ovation from the Old Trafford crowd when he was substituted near the end of Sunday's 4-2 victory over Manchester City.

"Felli has been brilliant," Young told the club's in-house TV channel. "Everyone will say the same.

"He's been fantastic. I've said before that very few people can handle him. On his day he's unplayable."

Young opened United's account against City with a close-range finish before supplying an inch-perfect cross for Fellaini to head the second goal.

Smalling, who completed the scoring on Sunday after Juan Mata had slid home the third goal, also heaped praise on former Everton player Fellaini who is back to his best after an awful first season at United last term.

"Felli's been a handful for every team and there hasn't really been an answer to him," said England defender Smalling.

"He needs two players to mark him so he frees up a lot of space. He's been terrific."

Fellaini has had his share of doubters among the United faithful since his 27 million pounds ($39.45 million) move but manager Louis van Gaal said Sunday's ovation showed he had won them over.

"The fans see that he is very important for the team," said the Dutchman. "He scores goals and lifts the pressure when we need it.

"He always plays the ball to a red shirt, that is also very important."

Third-placed United's stunning sequence of results has given them an outside chance of lifting the title but they will need to inflict Chelsea's first home league defeat of the season to cut the deficit on the leaders to five points.

Van Gaal's side have six matches left this season while Chelsea have a game in hand on United and second-placed Arsenal who are seven points off the pace.

Mou Sees Champion Quality In Chelsea

Jose Mourinho believes Chelsea's gritty 1-0 win at QPR had all the hallmarks of champions-elect.

Mourinho's side moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League after Cesc Fabregas's 88th minute goal settled a scrappy west London derby at Loftus Road.

The Blues need 12 more points from their remaining seven matches to be certain of claiming the English crown for the first time since 2010 and, although they were well below their best on Sunday, Mourinho was encouraged by the way they emerged unscathed from a tricky test.

It took a poor clearance from QPR goalkeeper Robert Green, seized on by Eden Hazard and eventually converted by Fabregas, to give Chelsea a win that even Mourinho admitted was probably more than they deserved.

But it was the way Chelsea kept their composure in such a heated contest that impressed Mourinho and reminded him of the way his previous title-winning teams, at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, all found a way to triumph in unpromising situations.

"Every time I was a champion I remember a couple of matches that my teams won in the last minute. It is like a little light that shines for the team that will be champions," Mourinho said.

"It is difficult to play here, the pitch is small and 1.30pm is maybe not the best time to go into the game with intensity.

"They gave us a difficult match but we kept good emotional control and never lost balance. If we have to go home with 0-0 ok, but we kept going and got the goal. One point would have been fair but we played well with the circumstances."

Crucial showdowns

With crucial showdowns against Manchester United and then Arsenal looming over the next two weeks, Chelsea's refusal to settle for a point could prove invaluable as it gives them more margin for error when they face their title rivals.

Asked if Chelsea's victory would be a psychological blow to second placed Arsenal, who had closed the gap to four points on Saturday, Mourinho responded by demanding that his team be given respect for sitting joint top or top of the table since the opening day of the season.

"I don't know if it hurts Arsenal or not but it is not normal for a team to be top of the table in August and arrive in April still top of the league," Mourinho said.

"That is the team that deserves the credit. Other teams have had good runs, but we have had a good run since August."

While Mourinho was right to praise his players' steely focus, the Blues were indebted to Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who made amends for some recent mistakes with two fine saves to deny Charlie Austin and Matt Phillips.

Courtois gifted Hull a goal in Chelsea's win at the KC Stadium and was caught off his line by Charlie Adam's 65-yard wonder-goal for Stoke last week.

"I said after Hull and Charlie Adam he needed to give us a couple of points. We needed a couple of saves and he did it," Mourinho added.

The defeat was cruel on QPR, who remain two points from safety, and manager Chris Ramsey was left to rue one lapse in concentration that ruined an otherwise immaculate gameplan.

"I'm disappointed with the manner we let the goal in. I'm not blaming Rob. It wasn't his best kick but we had plenty of time to defend, and for the first time in the game we didn't deal with it," he said.

"I would have been more accepting if they had done something clever to pull a goal out of the bag. We could have defended miles better.

"All that running that everybody did has gone to waste. Saying that, the players were fantastic and hopefully that performance against a top team has given everybody hope."

Oboabona: Eagles Must Work As A Team To Qualify For 2017 AFCON

Nigeria international Godfrey Oboabona has disclosed that the Super Eagles must be at their best and strive to learn from past mistakes if hope to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

The former African champions will face Egypt, Chad and Tanzania in the race for a place in the biannual football showpiece billed for Gabon.

The Rizespor player insists that all hands must be on the deck to ensure the country is not shut out of the competition again after missing out of the 2015 edition staged in Equatorial Guinea.

“I have seen the draws and what I have to say is that it is a good and difficult group and we must start work immediately, Oboabona told Goal.

 “The administrators must do their part while we the players too are not left behind. We must be focused and work as a team.

“We must see it as a collective task and we must all be determined to do Nigerians proud this term after the disappointment of missing the 2015 edition.

“We must take all our opponents serious and we must not show respect for any of them from Egypt to Chad. We need to ensure that we pick all the available points either home or away. This is the only way by which we can get our desired result,” he concluded.

Messi Has Always Been My Idol- Lucas Moura

The Brazilian says his nation's rivalry with Argentina hasn't stopped him from idolising the four-time Ballon d'Or winner

Paris Saint-Germain attacker Lucas Moura has revealed Barcelona's Lionel Messi has "always been his role model in football".

The 22-year-old moved to the French capital from Sao Paulo in January 2013 and took time to adapt to European football before emerging as one of Laurent Blanc's key men this season.

Having previously been criticised for his lack of end product, Moura has scored eight goals so far this term and will hope to add to that tally against Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.

PSG face the Catalans in the first leg on Wednesday having already met in the group stage of the competition before Christmas, with the forward relishing the chance to face the man he says is the best in the world.

"He has always been my idol," he told AS.

"For some time I've been obsessed with his way of playing. I think he's the best player in the world, above all the rest.

"We must be realistic and Messi is the best. Of course, there is always a rivalry between Brazil and Argentina but we are a football country.

"It will be very difficult to play against him. We will have to work hard to stop him. If we get the victory it will be close.

"It's always nice to play against them. It will be a challenge and a very close tie. We are very excited."

Moura also had kind words for fellow Brazilian Neymar, who returned to goalscoring form with a sublime free-kick against Sevilla on Saturday.

"He's a football genius. I'm happy to say he is my friend. I love to watch him play for Barca, they will help him a lot."

Tevez Says: "Juventus Can Win The Champions League"

The forward has compared the Manchester United side he was part of that won the Champions League in 2008 and the Bianconeri's current squad

The Bianconeri face Monaco in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Tuesday after beating Borussia Dortmund 5-1 on aggregate in the last eight.

However, Massimiliano Allegri's side suffered a shock defeat to Serie A whipping boys Parma on Saturday, though Tevez is confident the loss was nothing more than a minor blip.

"Parma was an accident," he told La Repubblica.

"Dortmund has shown that we can go far. It only depends on us. Juventus can beat anyone and we've shown that. Nobody is out of our reach."

Tevez won the Champions League with Manchester United in 2008, scoring his side's first penalty in the 6-5 shootout victory over Chelsea.

The Argentina international was part of a squad featuring a host of star names but says his Juventus team are very different in their make up.

He continued: "That was a different situation. There were some amazing examples: Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes.

"I think that now there is a team instead. We are very hard to beat."

The Argentine believes Juve can take heart from Atletico Madrid's run to the final last year, but is hoping for a better ending than Diego Simeone's side's 4-1 extra-time loss to Real Madrid.

"We can be like Atletico but with a better ending," added the 31-year-old.

Tevez has been in superb form individually this term, scoring 25 goals in all competitions, and praised his team-mates and coach for his goalscoring exploits.

"My team-mates and Allegri give me so much confidence. I'm happy with how the coach asks me to play.

"We made some kind of deal: when I get the ball I can do whatever I want but I have to perform very specific tasks in defence.

"I like being in contact with the ball. If you don't give it to me, I'll get it."

Drogba, Messi And Ronaldo Are The Best I've Faced - Pique

The Barcelona defender is set to make his 300th appearance for the club this week and named his three toughest opponents.

Barcelona defend Gerard Pique  says Didier Drogba, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the three best players he has encountered as he prepares to make his 300th appearance for the club.

The centre-back departed the Catalans as a teenager and joined Manchester United but returned to Camp Nou in 2008 and has since developed into one of the game's finest defenders.

In that time he has lifted the Champions League on two occasions and La Liga four times, while doing battle with some of the game's finest attacking players.

"I grew up at La Masia, dreaming of playing for the first team one day so you can only imagine what it means to wear this shirt 300 times," he told Mundo Deportivo.

"Many people have been fortunate to enjoy it. And all the titles we won are very special.

"Both Barca and I have had the honour of reaching the final stages of major competitions, meeting the best teams and best players.

"There have been many but I would highlight, Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi every day in training!"

The Catalans stand two points clear of Real Madrid in La Liga, face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final and meet Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Pique understands that there is a lot of hard work ahead of him and his team-mates but believes a first piece of silverware in two years is within their grasp.

"We to be very close and very focused.

"I hope it's a historic season. PSG have one of the best defences in the world and can beat anyone."

Van Gaal: Manchester United Are Better Than Man City - It's A Fact

The former Barcelona boss believes his team have adapted to his philosophy excellently in their strong recent run and singled out Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini for praise

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes his side have proven themselves to be better than Manchester City following their emphatic derby win.

Goals from Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini, Juan Mata and Chris Smalling secured a 4-2 victory for the Red Devils to move them four points clear of City in third and maintain their push for a Champions League place.

"You are playing for the fans. In the beginning of the season, it was not so fantastic to be a United fan," Van Gaal told reporters.

"This week, they can go on the street and lift their hats, and say we are this year the better team.

"At this moment we are four points ahead [of City] so that's a fact. We still have six matches to go and that can be changes again."

Marouane Fellaini delivered another strong performance and received a standing ovation from the Old Trafford faithful when he was replaced in the second half.

"He is very important for the team, he has scored goals under big pressure when we needed him. He always plays the ball to the same colour which is very important. I'm very happy for him.

"Fellaini from day one is the player who always did what I asked. You can say not always very good but never badly. That's always important for a manager that a player gives a certain level of performance."

Van Gaal's philosophy has been questioned by many since his arrival at Old Trafford, though Phil Jones claimed on Saturday that the team were starting to understand the way in which the Dutch coach wants them to play.

And the former Barcelona boss feels his players should be praised for handling the pressure and managing a switch in formation to 4-3-3 in recent weeks.

"We have made already big steps in the last six games, because after the defeat against Arsenal [in the FA Cup] it was very difficult of course for my team to stand up and to maintain our confidence in the philosophy," he added to Sky Sports.

"I have to say all the credit to the players because they have to do it under pressure, under the expectations of the fans because the fans were expecting today that we would win, and of course after the match you can say we have won but it is not so easy, you can see also the stress of the players in the first 10 minutes."

As well as netting United's first goal, Young also claimed two assists in his role as a left-winger as the England international put in another encouraging performance.

And Van Gaal was full of praise for the ex-Aston Villa man despite Sergio Aguero's late consolation being created down his flank.

"Yeah I think Ashley Young was man of the match… I've seen it [on television]! So I think that is right because I found that also, he was very good.

"He was involved with the first three goals, very important goals, and he did his job as a left winger. When he was left midfielder he let in one goal but OK, I can…how do you say… I can accept it."

Van Gaal also revealed Michael Carrick is set for further tests after he was withdrawn from the action late on with a tight calf muscle.

Madrid Can't Make Atletico Mistakes Again - Pepe

Pepe has warned his Real Madrid team-mates they cannot afford a repeat of the mistakes they have made in previous games against Atletico Madrid in Tuesday's Champions League clash.

Carlo Ancelotti's side have been second best in recent derbies against their neighbours, losing both La Liga games, their Spanish Supercopa meeting and Copa del Rey last 16 tie this term.

Their most recent meeting was a 4-0 drubbing at the Vicente Calderon but the Portugal international is hoping for a different outcome at the same ground this time.

"It’s a difficult match for us but also for them," he is quoted as saying by AS.

"I think that we must not commit the same errors that we committed in previous matches against Atletico.

"If we go out with the intensity and the humility that the team showed last year and in these matches right now, I think that we will surely produce a good performance."

Madrid closed the gap on Liga leaders Barcelona to two points this weekend after the Catalans let a two-goal lead slip at Sevilla on Saturday.

Pepe started his side's 3-0 win over Eibar on the bench and is holding out hope they can pip their old rivals to the title.

"To be within two points is important for us, it’s a lift that we have but a lot is left and we still have to fight hard," he added.

"We have to face every game with great seriousness and that is what we are doing. It is our objective to fight until the end, what we are trying to do. It’s often difficult but it’s what we have to do."

'Toure Didn't Want To Mark Fellaini' - Young Blasts Star

Manchester United winger Ashley Young has hit out at Yaya Toure, claiming the Manchester City man failed to do his job in marking Marouane Fellaini during Sunday's derby.

Young and Fellaini combined as the Belgian nodded in United's second goal during their 4-2 win at Old Trafford, with the England international also getting on the scoresheet himself.

And though the former Aston Villa man concedes Fellaini is difficult to play against, he felt Toure did not do enough to challenge the ex-Everton midfielder.

"Felli has been brilliant," Young told MUTV. "Everyone will say the same. Since he’s come into the team, he’s been fantastic.

"I’ve said before that very few people can handle him. On his day, he’s unplayable. I don’t think Yaya Toure wanted to be tracking back, he wanted to be at the other end of the pitch but he had that job to do on Felli.

"When Felli is in the box and you can find him, you’ve definitely got a chance of scoring.

"I saw him at the back post and hoped he’d get on the end of it and score and, thankfully, he managed to do that."

Man City Manager Takes Responsibility For Club's 'Garbage' Season

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has accepted full responsibility for his ailing side's dismal derby defeat at Man United which all but ended their Premier League title defence.

The fallen champions crashed to a 4-2 loss at Old Trafford on Sunday evening, the latest in a string of miserable results in 2015.

City have now lost six of their last eight games in all competitions and have won just four from 12 in the league since pulling level with Chelsea at the top of the table on New Year's Day.

The result is certain to increase the already considerable pressure on Pellegrini, who admitted before Sunday’s clash that his side had thrown their season 'into the garbage’.

And asked if he needed to question his own performance, the Chilean said: "I always think it is my responsibility, always."

The 61-year-old was then asked at his post-match press conference how the team could change their fortunes.

"By winning," he said. "That is the only way."

Pellegrini would not comment on his own future.

"I am not talking about my position," he said. "It is not important."

City now find themselves fourth in the table and, rather than looking upwards, perhaps facing a battle to retain a Champions League spot ahead of the likes of Southampton or Liverpool.

Pellegrini, however, insisted he was not thinking that way.

He added: "We are concerned about trying to win the next game. We have to play six games more. We have been the whole year in first or second position and maybe in the last week, losing these two games, we are in fourth.

"But United and Arsenal have to play against Chelsea. We have 18 points more to play for so we must not try make it a dramatic moment.

"We now have two games at home, we must try to recover from this defeat and we must try to win the next game."