News Headlines

Masterclass of centre-halves ensures Tottenham and Chelsea draw blank

The two central defensive pairings were in control throughout a tight contest lacking goalmouth excitement This had been an occasion for both teams to establish their Champions League qualification credentials, though, in a tight contest of good technical standard if lacking goalmouth excitement,...

Coyle wary of emotional return to Tottenham

There is one more hurdle for Bolton's footballers to overcome before they can approach the remains of the season with anything like a feeling of normality – tomorrow's return to White Hart Lane.

Jaded Chelsea feel the heat

For a team favoured to reach the Champions League semi-final, these are surprisingly humbling days for Chelsea. How often in the Abramovich era can they have been given bottom-billing on Match of the Day, as happened on Saturday, when the highlights of the first half stretched to one minute 20...

Holt presses England claims at double

The talk is serious: Grant Holt is a genuine candidate to go to Euro 2012 with England. And if he is not, he ought to be.

Jagielka lifts Moyes' Cup hopes

While David Moyes is adamant the Premier League has flogged his players, their performance on Saturday did nothing to back up his claims. Everton head to Sunderland for tomorrow's FA Cup quarter-final replay on the back of a morale-boosting away victory.

City grin and bear it after losing first round

Manchester City are trying hard – a little too hard, you feel – to demonstrate that they are enjoying all this. Roberto Mancini used the word last week and David Platt returned to it late on Saturday, after the man he assists had left the arena with a face like thunder.

United set to offer Ferdinand membership of old boys' club

Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, has raised the prospect of Rio Ferdinand joining Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes in the bracket of players who represent United deep into their thirties, as the club prepare to offer him a new contract.

Nowhere for Liverpool to hide on day of red faces

A "Jekyll and Hyde side" was how the Liverpool ex-captain Tommy Smith described Anfield's current crop when reflecting on their late horror show against QPR in his weekend Liverpool Echo column. But at least Dr Jekyll turned up at Loftus Road; Saturday's new low in a schizophrenic season of cup...

Brilliance of Ben Arfa beats Baggies

Back at the scene of the defeat by West Bromwich Albion which astonishingly cost Chris Hughton the manager's job 16 months ago, Newcastle yesterday joined Chelsea on 50 points and moved to within five points of the fourth Champions League place with a victory that was made in Africa.