Manchester City maintain perfect start with hard-earned win at Everton

For once it was not hyperbole from Roberto Martínez when he previewed Manchester City’s arrival at Goodison Park and declared Manuel Pellegrini’s team had announced their championship credentials after two games. The argument remains persuasive after three.

Samir Nasri is congratulated by Manchester City team-mates after scoring his side’s second goal at Everton. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters

City maintained their flawless start to the campaign with another display of defensive solidity and attacking ingenuity polished by fine second-half goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and Samir Nasri.

Everton posed Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala greater problems than West Bromwich Albion or Chelsea managed previously but they found the solutions, reducing the impact of Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku as the game wore on to record a third consecutive clean sheet. The hosts also worked tirelessly to contain David Silva’s influence and prevent Sergio Agüero devastating their defence as he did John Terry and co the previous weekend.

Again City’s class told with Raheem Sterling and Yaya Touré producing superb assists for the goals. Crucially, given last term’s indifferent title defence, their appetite to fight for every second ball, every challenge and every point was equally impressive. Agüero typified the industry by dispossessing Gareth Barry in central midfieldto the delight of the travelling support. It is very early days, of course, but City already appear a level apart. Sterling has settled in a manner few who witnessed his final months at Liverpool would have anticipated while Mangala looks more assured than at any point in his brief Premier League career. The prospect of more to come is an ominous signal to their rivals.

This was an absorbing affair that demonstrated the early-season promise of both sides, although only the visitors could sustain it. Everton were pinned back frequently and had to be patient without the ball as City, through the mesmerising double act of Silva and Agüero, wove their intricate patterns on the edge of the home penalty area. Yet Tim Howard, Phil Jagielka and the focused John Stones held firm for an hour and, as in the 3-0 win at Southampton last weekend, Martínez’s side carried a potent threat on the counterattack. Tom Cleverley’s quick feet and thinking allied to Aroune Koné’s tireless running ensured Lukaku was not the only preoccupation for City’s diligent defence.

Agüero began in the same menacing fashion that broke Chelsea last Sunday. Only 80 seconds had elapsed when he forced Howard to save with his legs with a blistering shot from a tight angle. He was again denied by the Everton goalkeeper after peeling away from Jagielka to meet an inviting cross from Jesús Navas with another low drive. Howard also saved from Silva and saw Sterling just miss the Spaniard’s pass across the face of goal, and all before Everton had orchestrated an attack of their own.

Barkley posed the first test to Joe Hart and was instrumental in carrying the game to City whenever Everton broke. The England international’s confidence appears visibly improved after two goals in the opening two games of the season and it was his pass that led to Lukaku sidestepping Hart and converting past two City defenders on the goal line. Unfortunately for the Belgium international, an eagle-eyed assistant referee spotted he was fractionally offside. Seamus Coleman went close, Barkley wastefully skied a dangerous free-kick from 20 yards and Lukaku shaved the crossbar with another set-piece attempt with Hart rooted to the spot.

Pellegrini’s team controlled much of the contest despite Touré being in evident discomfort. The Ivory Coast international required lengthy treatment to his groin in the warm-up and was restricted in his movement – though not his touch – throughout. But in Navas and particularly Sterling, afforded the inevitable Liverpool-ex reception by the Everton faithful, City had the pace to penetrate and force the home defence deep.

The former Anfield man made an influential mark on his Merseyside return. With an hour gone City turned the tables on Everton and hit on the counter. Agüero released Sterling down the left and the winger waited for Stones to commit himself in the area before rolling a perfectly weighted pass into the overlapping Kolarov on his blind side. The left-back, played onside by Jagielka, shaped to cross but steered a fine finish inside Howard’s near post instead. The USA international was beaten far too easily for both City goals.

But for a brief flurry, when Vincent Kompany cleared off the line from a Barry header, Everton failed to produce a convincing response. The game was settled with two minutes remaining when the substitute Nasri played a neat one-two with Touré and, with the struggling James McCarthy guilty of ball watching, raced on to the midfielder’s glorious flick to loft the ball over Howard. It was another impressive statement of intent by the men from the Etihad Stadium.

Man of the match David Silva (Manchester City)

Liverpool agree in principle to pay Aston Villa £32.5m for Christian Benteke

Christian Benteke scored against Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-finals last season to help Aston Villa to a 2-1 victory. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian 

Liverpool are set to take their summer spending to around £80m after agreeing in principle to meet Aston Villa’s asking price for Christian Benteke.

The Belgian striker has a release clause in his contract set at £32.5m, and although Liverpool were originally trying to negotiate a transfer for a lower fee, they appear to have rethought their strategy following the sale of Raheem Sterling to Manchester City and indicated a deal could go ahead for the full amount. Sterling was sold earlier in the week for £49m but a sell-on agreement with his former club Queens Park Rangers worth around £10m meant Liverpool received considerably less than that amount. Although they may have felt their hand forced by interest for Benteke from elsewhere, stories linking the Villa player to Manchester United are apparently without foundation.

Brendan Rodgers needs a reliable striker, with Daniel Sturridge still recovering from surgery, and Benteke fits the bill, though Rodgers may initially struggle to sell the signing to his own supporters after the club’s change of heart over his value makes it look as if Liverpool have paid over the odds. A Belgium international with 24 caps, the 24-year-old has scored 42 goals in 88 appearances since joining Villa from Genk in 2012. That is a more than respectable record for a side operating at the lower end of the Premier League, and Liverpool will hope Benteke can continue or even improve with better players around him.

It is no secret that Liverpool never satisfactorily replaced Luis Suárez in terms of the goals he contributed, and with Sterling gone and Sturridge only managing 18 games last season Rodgers could not afford any more delay, even if forwards Roberto Firmino and Danny Ings have been signed in this window.

Benteke is not quite in the class of the strikers Liverpool have lost and may be overpriced to a certain degree, but Rodgers has to be realistic now that the club can no longer offer Champions League football and Sterling engineered himself a move away from Merseyside.

Liverpool have spent £12.5m on Nathaniel Clyne this summer, are prepared to pay up to £29m to Hoffenheim for Firmino, and have signed Ings from Burnley for a fee due to be set by tribunal. Rodgers did say this would be a quiet window after spending £110m last summer, mostly the proceeds from the sale of Suárez, though that was before he knew Sterling would be lining up for someone else in the new season. Liverpool are in Australia on a pre-season tour but their chief executive, Ian Ayre, who is with them, is confident negotiations with Villa can be handled from the southern hemisphere.

Women's World Cup: heartbreaking own goal ends England dreams at the death

Laura Bassett is comforted by team-mates after scoring her own goal. Photograph: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

England’s World Cup dream concluded in the cruellest fashion when Laura Bassett’s stoppage time own goal re-routed Mark Sampson’s Lionesses from the final in Vancouver to Heathrow.

Bassett was in tears after slicing an intended clearance into her own net at the end of an evening on which England had held their own against a slick passing, technically accomplished, but largely non-penetrative, Japan side.

Defensively excellent, Sampson’s players persistently forced their opponents to construct their passing triangles down a series of cul-de-sacs and blind alleys. Perhaps ironically, they came undone when the geometry-obsessed World Cup holders delivered a rare cross.

A semi-final England’s coach had predicted would be very much about set pieces was level courtesy of a pair of somewhat debatable penalties, and drifting into extra time when Japan broke and Nahomi Kawusumi unleashed an excellent, subtly curving ball from the right. If anyone needed a reminder of why high-calibre crosses change games, this was it.

Under acute pressure from two attackers, Bassett attempted to clear but merely succeeded in forcing the ball over Karen Bardsley’s head before watching in horror as it grazed the underside of the bar and dropped a yard over the line.

As tears began rolling down Bassett’s face, the final whistle blew. Instantly the centre half was engulfed by team-mates desperate to offer her a consolatory hug.

Bassett and the rest of Sampson’s squad must travel back to London via Saturday’s third place playoff against Germany, while Japan will face USA in the following day’s denouement.

Prince William and David Cameron had been at the front of the queue of well wishers sending the Lionesses good luck messages on Wednesday, but Norio Sasaki was not convinced.

“There are places where England fall unintentionally apart,” said Japan’s coach, somewhat sniffily, shortly before kick off. “I wonder how they have been so successful so far?”

Shortly after kickoff, Jodie Taylor looked set to ruffle his confidence after connecting with Karen Bardsley’s long kick – but she directed her volley slightly off target.

After that, much of the first half was all about Japan dominating possession, with the Lionesses struggling to second-guess Aya Miyami’s midfield promptings and sometimes wrongfooted by the classy Rumi Utsugi.

The good news for Sampson was that the Nadeshiko struggled to get behind a supremely well organised defence, and Bardsley was barely troubled. Indeed, on admittedly rare counter-attacks invariably featuring long balls, Jill Scott and Taylor, the Lionesses looked reasonably threatening.

Everything changed when Claire Rafferty shoved Saori Ariyoshi just inside the area – England protested, forlornly, it was just outside – and Miayma stepped up to take the penalty. Despite delaying her kick and then stuttering in the run-up, she sent Bardsley the wrong way.

If Sampson had a case for arguing that Rafferty’s inital push had been made marginally outside the area, he could have had no complaints when England – due £35,000 per woman bonuses had they lifted the trophy – won a distinctly iffy penalty of their own.

This time, Steph Houghton tumbled all too easy in the face of Yuki Ogimi’s challenge, but the referee bought it and Fara Williams stepped up to the spot. Sampson’s set-piece specialist did not let him down, her kick comfortably evading Ayumi Kaihori’s grasp.

With Taylor’s knee – she had surgery only two months ago – forcing her replacement by Ellen White after an hour, Japan looked relieved. They appeared even more so as Toni Duggan’s shot rebounded off the bar.

Sasaki introduced Mana Iwabuchi – aka “The Killer” – from the bench, and the creator dubbed “the brightest flower” of the Japanese women’s game promptly began causing England all sorts of problems as she ran through a repertoire of tricks. So many, indeed, that there was a strong suspicion that Sampson, ever streetwise, instructed Bardsley to fake an injury in order to use the break in play to re-group his Lionesses.

No matter. Despite Taylor’s withdrawl, England remained very much in the game. White forced a splendid save from Japan’s goalkeeper Kaihori, and Jill Scott headed wide.

Extra time and possibly penalties were beckoning – but then Bassett, otherwise excellent for England throughout this tournament, endured the worst moment of her career.

In time, even she may be able to see the bigger picture. It involves the Lionesses’ achievement in reaching the semi finals of a women’s World Cup for the first time, and becoming the first national team of either gender to make the last four since Sir Bobby Robson’s boys of Italia 90.

They may have stumbled at the penultimate hurdle but, with a nation newly inspired, it will be a major surprise if the topography of the female game in England does not alter beyond recognition.

Roy Hodgson tells Nathaniel Clyne that form is not enough for England

Roy Hodgson has indicated he will continue with Phil Jones as England’s right-back and made it clear to Nathaniel Clyne that he has no right “on the basis of a good season” to think he should take over from the Manchester United defender.
Clyne was restricted to the role of a late substitute in England’s 3-2 win against Slovenia and was overlooked when Hodgson withdrew Jones, who was suffering from a minor ankle injury, at half-time. Jordan Henderson was switched from central midfield into defence and at the end of the game Clyne went straight down the tunnel. “I suppose he was disappointed,” Hodgson said.
Jones was partly to blame for Slovenia’s first goal and has had an erratic season at Old Trafford but Hodgson gave him his backing after it was put to the England manager that Clyne had been the outstanding right-back in the Premier League last season with Southampton.
“Maybe,” Hodgson said, “but Jones is a top-quality player. We have great faith in him and we are very happy with him. We think Nathaniel Clyne is a very good player but I would be disappointed if anyone thought that on the basis of a good season with their clubs they can walk in and demand a place.
“If I were to play him and leave out Phil Jones there would have been a lot of questions about ‘Don’t you rate Phil Jones?’ and ‘Don’t you think he’s a man of the future?’ I didn’t notice Clyne walk off and you would have to ask him.
“He’s a good lad, he’s been very solid since he’s come in and we like him very much. I would be surprised if he did that. I spoke to him and explained what I was doing but you can’t expect everyone to be happy.
“After the game when you are walking around the substitutes you won’t get the same smiling faces as you do from the 11 who played. That is a fact of life.”
Liverpool had an opening offer for Clyne of around £10m turned down last month. Southampton want the 24-year-old to extend his contract, which has one season to run.

Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling shows his worth in cruise past Newcastle

Whatever Raheem Sterling is smoking, and it is quite a lot judging by recent pictures of the Liverpool winger in action, it was too much for Newcastle United to stomach as their malaise deepened at Anfield. Brendan Rodgers’ team kept their outside hope of Champions League qualification alive with an ultimately comfortable victory. Liverpool moved to within four points of fourth-placed Manchester City with goals from Sterling and Joe Allen but for John Carver there was only a fifth consecutive league defeat and mounting problems. Moussa Sissoko was sent off late on for an over-the-top tackle on Lucas Leiva that prompted his second booking of the night when it could have been a straight red.
Rodgers’ programme notes were filed before Manchester City’s comprehensive defeat at Old Trafford, a result that may have altered his conviction that “there is a significant gap between us and fourth place, there are a small number of games remaining to bridge that gap, and the teams above us are not dropping points.” His insistence Liverpool “cannot afford any more slip-ups” in the pursuit of fourth place holds true regardless of the champions’ regression, however, and Rodgers’ team were quick to establish a foothold over a brittle Newcastle.

Liverpool were without Daniel Sturridge due to what the club described as muscle fatigue after the England international exited the FA Cup quarter-final win at Blackburn Rovers last week with a slight hamstring problem. In his absence, Philippe Coutinho was the somewhat surprising choice to lead the attack with Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe, back from a six week lay-off caused by ankle ligament damage, completing a three-pronged attack.
Any doubts over the home side’s potency in the absence of a recognised striker were dispelled with their first attack. Carver had pledged a reaction from Newcastle following their lame defeat in the Tyne-Wear derby last weekend and initially the “hurt” visitors delivered. Moussa Sissoko, captain in place of the suspended Fabricio Coloccini, led by powerful example from the opening whistle yet it underlined the weakness of this Newcastle team that they conceded when under pressure for the first time.
The breakthrough was a moment to savour for the scrutinised Sterling. Jordan Henderson instigated the ninth-minute goal with a crossfield pass that his England international colleague trapped with an exquisite first touch on the left of the visitors’ penalty area.
Sterling stepped inside one weak challenge from Ryan Taylor, a second from Gabriel Obertan and swept a fine right-footed finish beyond Tim Krul into the top corner. It was the 20-year-old’s first goal since inviting criticism with his admission to the BBC that he had rejected a £100,000-a-week contract offer from Liverpool.
Any concerns Sterling might have had over the Kop’s reaction were misplaced although the home supporters were quick to express an unflattering opinion of the player’s agent, Aidy Ward.
The release for Sterling may be short-lived. Having been pictured in the Sunday Mirror this weekend allegedly smoking a shisha pipe, it emerged during the game that Sterling has also been filmed allegedly inhaling nitrous oxide – or laughing gas – at a party.
A Liverpool spokesperson commented: “We are aware of the story and intend to speak to the player. Any subsequent action will be taken internally.” Rodgers was also due to comment on the latest controversy surrounding the 20-year-old after the game.
Liverpool, wearing black armbands before the 26th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster on Wednesday, appeared on course for a comfortable victory in the immediate aftermath of Sterling’s strike as Newcastle’s resistance evaporated.
The home side pinged passes over the Newcastle rearguard at will and under no pressure for much of the first half. Krul saved an angled drive from Alberto Moreno after Dejan Lovren’s long ball sent the Spaniard clear down the left, Coutinho overhit a cross intended for the unmarked Sterling in front of goal having evaded two challenges down the right and Krul saved superbly from Lucas Leiva’s free header, albeit the Brazilian was given offside.
But Liverpool’s dominance proved deceptive. Having spent most of the first half justifying recent accusations of a lack of quality and fight, the visitors ended it in the ascendancy and rightly enraged by the referee, Lee Mason’s, refusal to award a penalty when Lovren impeded Ayozé Pérez inside the Liverpool area.
The degree of contact between the Croatian and the young striker was debatable but Lovren was late and nowhere near the ball as Pérez tumbled over his outstretched leg. Carver’s complaints continued down the tunnel at half-time.
Pérez almost levelled with a flying header from Daryl Janmaat’s cross, only for Simon Mignolet to produce a fine save, and Mehdi Abeid sliced over from Sissoko’s inviting ball as Liverpool’s performance became increasingly disjointed. Lovren and Glen Johnson spread palpitations throughout Anfield with cumbersome second-half displays but Newcastle could not capitalise.
Liverpool, even while struggling to reassert their earlier control, carried the more potent threat.
Sterling should have scored his second when Taylor completely missed Henderson’s cross from the right and allowed the ball to reach the winger standing six yards in front of goal. Somehow, Sterling side-footed his effort horribly wide. His blushes were spared by Joe Allen of all people with 20 minutes remaining. Newcastle dealt comfortably with a Henderson corner from the right but not with the return ball back into their box by Emre Can.
Can’s cross bounced off Mike Williamson and before the Newcastle central defender could react, Allen despatched a snap-shot past Krul from close range.
The Wales international became the 18th different player to score for Liverpool this season with his first of the campaign, equalling a club record.