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United

Manchester United will lead the Premier League by four points going into Christmas after a frustrating draw at a resolute Swansea.

Patrice Evra's header from Robin van Persie corner put United in front, reports the BBC.

Swansea hit back with Michu tapping in after Jonathan De Guzman's shot had been blocked by keeper David De Gea.

Van Persie looped a shot on to the crossbar and Michael Carrick had a header tipped on to the woodwork but Swansea held on for a point.

 Madrid

Jose Mourinho insisted he would not resign as Real Madrid coach after his side lost 3-2 at Malaga to fall 16 points behind leaders Barcelona.

Mourinho appeared incredulous when asked if he was worried about his job.

"I'm not worried at all and I'm not going to resign," he said. "I'm not a child, I know that results count.

"If I felt the players did not want to continue I'd be too honest [to carry on]. But they are not like that. We are just lacking some luck, that's all."

Isco put Malaga ahead in the 49th minute before an own-goal by Samuel Sanchez put Real level. Former Blackburn and Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz gave Malaga a two-goal breathing space with strikes in the 73rd and 76th minutes after coming on as a substitute, reports the BBC.

Karim Benzema pulled one back eight minutes from time, but it was too late to prevent Malaga from clinching their first win over Real since 1983.

Mourinho admitted that Real's chances of defending their league title were now over.

"I think it's an insurmountable lead. Last season we won the league with a similar gap and now we are not going so well. I'm not happy with that but this is the reality," he said.

The Portuguese manager also defended his decision to drop goalkeeper Iker Casillas to the bench, instead choosing to start 25-year-old Antonio Adan.

It was the first time in 10 years that the World Cup winner had been dropped by Real.

"At the moment, for me and my coaching staff, Adan is better than Iker," Mourinho said. "We have been struggling in a number of areas, one of those has been defence. The coach analyses who is in the best situation to play and chooses his team and that is what I have done.

"You [the media] can invent what you want but it's purely a technical decision."

 Barca

Unbeaten La Liga leaders Barcelona ended 2012 on a high when Lionel Messi struck his 91st goal of the year in a 3-1 win at Real Valladolid while their arch-rivals Real Madrid slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Malaga.

It was the perfect tonic for Barca following the news that coach Tito Vilanova had to have throat surgery last Thursday.

The 44-year-old was released from hospital earlier on Saturday and was absent from Valladolid's Jose Zorrilla stadium as Barca racked up a record 16th win in 17 games this season, reports Reuters.

Real's woes deepened after the stuttering champions suffered a second consecutive setback following last weekend's 2-2 draw at home to Espanyol.

Coach Jose Mourinho sprung a surprise by leaving captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas on the bench and the defeat left Real 16 points adrift of Barca.

They are seven behind second-placed Atletico Madrid, who won 1-0 at home to Celta Vigo on Friday, and their lead over Malaga in fourth was cut to two points.

Barca have 49 points from 17 matches, a record for this stage of a La Liga campaign, and the only match they failed to win was a 2-2 draw at home to Real in October.

Atletico, resurgent under Argentine coach Diego Simeone, have 40, with Real on 33 and Malaga, who are coached by Mourinho's predecessor at Real, Manuel Pellegrini, on 31.

Valladolid kept a dominant Barca at bay until two minutes before halftime when Messi, who earlier shook the frame of the goal with a free kick, played Jordi Alba through on the left and Xavi turned his low cross into the net.

Messi uncharacteristically fluffed a simple chance early in the second half but the Argentine World Player of the Year doubled Barca's lead in the 59th minute with a trademark run and finish.

Xavi's clever back heel set the Argentine on his way and Messi dinked the ball between a defender's legs before firing a low shot into the far corner.

It was his 26th La Liga goal of the campaign and his 91st of 2012, extending the calendar year record he broke earlier this month when he overhauled Gerd Mueller's 40-year-old mark of 85.

Javi Guerra pulled a goal back for Valladolid in the 89th minute before Cristian Tello added a third for Barca in added time moments after coming off the bench.

Barcelona's assistant coach Jordi Roura has taken charge on a temporary basis until Vilanova, who is starting a course of chemo- and radiotherapy, is well enough to return.

"We are on a good run and we had to make a final effort for the year to dedicate the win to Tito," Xavi told reporters.

"We should have killed off the game earlier by taking a three-goal lead so as not to suffer but they made it 2-1 in one of their few attacks," added the Spain midfielder.

EPL

 

the blues

Victor Moses

Chelsea get back to Premier League business when they host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge Sunday. The Blues were in Japan suffering defeat in the Club World Cup last weekend before returning to domestic action in fine style with a 5-1 win at Leeds in midweek.

However they have seen their league position drop to seventh after Saturday’s matches though they would still have a game in hand after Sunday’s game.

Rafa Benitez will now turn his attention to the Premier League in which Chelsea recently went seven games without a win and need to find form if they are to retain their grip on a top-four spot.

Aston Villa showed in their 3-1 victory at Liverpool last Saturday that they are capable of causing an upset and come into the game on their best run of form all season. Paul Lambert’s young side appear to be finding their feet after a shaky start and are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions.

Extending that sequence to seven will prove tough at Stamford Bridge but Benitez will surely be wary as another blow would further undermine him after a stuttering start to life at Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Benitez believes Fernando Torres’ fine recent form is proof that his methods are working at Chelsea.

Torres is finally starting to show his predatory skills, almost two years after joining in a £50m deal, and the 28-year-old appears to have benefited from his reunion with his old Liverpool manager Benitez. Chelsea’s interim boss felt that Torres had lost some of his physical conditioning and the Spanish striker appears to have a new lease of life, weighing in with six goals in five games.

Benitez is delighted with Torres’ transformation and believes that other members of the squad are also reaping rewards from his training regime.

“Two or three things that we are doing for some players are really good,” Benitez said, claiming the sharpness in the majority of his players was now “much better”.

“Fernando is one of the examples. He’s scoring goals and the team is winning and playing well, so he’s really happy, not just because he’s scoring goals but also because the team’s doing well.

“I think that the team has an influence on him because the team is doing well, so the team is playing better, creating more chances. So Fernando is taking more chances.”

Benitez admits he has kept a watchful eye on his players’ workload as the Club World Cup trip and the midweek Capital One Cup quarter-final win at Leeds have preceded Sunday’s home clash with Aston Villa.

from Africa  Yaya Toure Cote d’Ivoire and Man city

Winner of the Glo-CAF African Footballer of the Year Award 2012, Yaya Toure, has stated that winning the award for the second time in a row with his compatriot, Didier Drogba, emerging the first runner-up,  will go a long way in inspiring Cote d’Ivoire to victory at the Nations Cup in South Africa.