Inter saw off Spezia 2-0 at San Siro to make it three Serie A wins in a row under Simone Inzaghi for the first time.
The in-form hosts defeated leaders Napoli and lowly Venezia in their previous two league outings and were good value for their latest victory at home to Spezia.
Roberto Gagliardini rounded off a nice team move to give Inzaghi s men a half-time lead and Lautaro Martinez, who created the opener, doubled his side s tally from the penalty spot to seal the victory.
Inter climb two points above Milan in second and within a point of Napoli, but those two teams are in action later on Wednesday against Genoa and Sassuolo respectively.
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— Inter (@Inter_en)
Spezia had lost each of their last four away games, conce…
Phil Foden hailed Manchester City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne as the Premier League s best player after the pair both netted in the 4-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
De Bruyne opened the scoring in Thursday s contest at Amex Stadium before Foden took over with a couple of goals of his own before half-time.
Julian Alvarez rounded off the scoring just after the hour in a one-sided contest as an Erling Haaland-less City moved to within a point of leaders Arsenal with a game in hand.
Belgium international De Bruyne now has four goals and six assists in just 13 league appearances for City this season.
Speaking to Sky Sports News after the win over Brighton, Foden said: I think when he is at it, he is the best player in the Premier League.
Foden s f…
Saudi Arabia coach Frank Rijkaard has voiced his admiration for Spain in the wake of his side s 5-0 loss to the world champions on Friday.
Goals from Santi Cazorla and Pedro put the hosts two goals up at half-time, before Xavi, David Villa and a second fine finish from Pedro made it five after the break.
Rijkaard, who was in charge at Barcelona from 2003 to 2008, had nothing but praise for Spain s performance.
This Spanish team has been impressing the entire footballing world. I have never seen a national team play as well as Spain, the Dutchman told reporters.
Xavi and (Andres) Iniesta are among the best players in the world. They can be decisive in any team they play for.
Spain deservedly beat us. They created so many chances. We already kne…
Ronaldinho is set to continue his career with Fluminense, with the 35-year-old signing a contract until the end of 2016.
Having been linked with Angolan club Kabuscorp and Antalyaspor of Turkey, plus the MLS, this year, since it became clear his time at Queretaro in Liga MX was coming to an end, Ronaldinho has instead chosen to go home to Brazil.
Fluminense announced the deal on Saturday, with Ronaldinho hoping to help the Rio de Janeiro-based club win their third Campeonato Brasileiro title in six years.
It was one of the things that motivated me to return to Brazil, going after a title that still do not have, and also because it is a club that has great players, the attacking midfielder said in a statement.
It s a very cool project and I am very happy…
Neymar insists his intention is still to extend his contract with Barcelona, despite having failed to reach an agreement over a renewal to date.
The Brazil international s father and agent claimed earlier this month that, although talks over a new deal were progressing, Neymar could be forced to leave Spain should a satisfactory resolution not be reached over alleged tax evasion.
A Brazilian court has frozen £31.3million worth of assets belonging to the Barca attacker, his family and related businesses, with the 23-year-old alleged to have evaded £10.5m worth of taxes in Brazil from 2011 to 2013.
Neymar, however, insists he hopes to secure a new deal at Camp Nou, telling the media on Saturday: I ve still got years on my contract. My father has already spoke…
West Brom staged an unexpected late comeback to snatch a 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool that offers Darren Moore s side slim hope of escaping relegation.
Danny Ings struck for the first time in 930 days and Mohamed Salah equalled the record for goals scored in a 38-match Premier League season as Liverpool appeared on course to warm up for their Champions League semi-final against Roma with a routine if laboured victory.
The beleaguered Baggies had other ideas, though, Jake Livermore getting one back in the 79th minute and Salomon Rondon heading home the equaliser from a free-kick with two remaining in normal time.
The result may not prove enough to save West Brom, as they are still eight points adrift of the safety of 17th-placed Swansea, who visit newly crowned c…
Kylian Mbappe and Rivaldo sent messages of support to Brazil legend Pele as the health of the World Cup legend reportedly took a turn for the worse.
Reports in Brazil said the 82-year-old has been moved to palliative care after a cancer battle.
The three-time World Cup winner ranks highly among the greatest players of all time, and he underwent surgery to remove a tumour from his colon last year.
There have been frequent hospital visits since, but reports have now claimed Pele is not responding to chemotherapy treatment and is instead receiving pain-relieving measures in an end-of-life care ward.
France striker Mbappe, immersed in a World Cup campaign with Les Bleus in Qatar, wrote on Twitter: Pray for the king.
Pray for the King
— Kyl…
UEFA are set to implement a blood testing programme across both the Champions League and Europa League from the start of the 2013-14 season.
European football s governing body conducted blood testing at both the 2012 and 2008 editions of the European Championships, but are now set to roll out the anti-doping measures across club competitions.
Players were previously required to provide only urine samples, but could now be asked to also give blood by UEFA testers.
In a statement announcing the changes, UEFA also revealed that they carried out 1,374 doping controls over the course of the 2012-13 season, with none providing a positive result.
The announcement also explained that 2013 Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich were both tested fiv…
Real Madrid icon Raul has confessed to enjoying the Champions League successes of his former club s arch-rivals Barcelona.
Raul was a three-time winner of Europe s premier club competition during a trophy-laden spell with Madrid from 1994 to 2010, lifting the trophy once more than Barca did in the same time span.
However, the 38-year-old insists he can still take pleasure in seeing some of the continental success go Barca s way because they are representing Spain.
Furthermore, he feels it adds to the intense competition between the Liga pair which he believes helps strengthen them.
When they [Barca] win the Champions League, I am glad. In the end it is a Spanish team and I have no problem saying that publicly, said Raul in an interview with Vanit…
Manchester City must not give Wayne Rooney time to think when they host Everton, according to midfielder Fernandinho.
Ronald Koeman s side head to the Etihad Stadium on Monday, a venue where they rode their luck in a 1-1 draw last term, before dishing out a painful 4-0 thrashing to Pep Guardiola s men at Goodison Park in January.
Koeman has made a number of eye-catching additions to his squad during the transfer window, with Gylifi Sigurdsson completing a club-record move from Swansea City last week.
But it is Rooney s return to his boyhood club that has captured the imagination, and England and Manchester United s all-time top scorer stole the headlines with the only goal against Stoke City as the Toffees won on the opening weekend of the Premier League season…