While might have travelled to Goodison Park on Saturday night enjoying a 16-match unbeaten run across all competitions and also booking their spot in the knockout stage of this year s Champions League, the Blues came crashing back down to earth on Merseyside.
Although Frank Lampard s side might have seen the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City all drop points, the Londoners were hit with a 1-0 defeat on the road and it is no secret that the former England midfielder is still looking to strengthen his squad.
Despite breaking the bank over the summer, Chelsea are still consistently linked with a move for West Ham s Declan Rice and their activity in the January transfer window could be down to who heads in the other direction.
Looking to cut their bu…
Daniel Farke was left fuming after Leeds United had a goal disallowed in their play-off semi-final first leg at Norwich on Sunday.
The game at Carrow Road ultimately ended 0-0, with both sides failing to seriously trouble the opposition goalkeeper as the teams combined for just 0.8 xG (expected goals).
It leaves the tie finely poised ahead of Thursday s second leg at Elland Road, but despite his side heading back to home turf with a clean sheet and level in the tie, Farke was left frustrated by a first-half incident which saw Junior Firpo put the ball in the net following a mix-up between Shane Duffy and Angus Gunn, only for the offside flag to be raised.
Farke believes the goal should have stood and bemoaned decisions that have gone against his side this season,…
Crystal Palace continued their impressive form as goals from Michael Olise, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze gave the Eagles a 3-1 victory over Wolves at Molineux.
Olise broke the deadlock with a curling strike after 26 minutes before Mateta grabbed a second just three minutes later to set Palace on the route to victory.
Matheus Cunha pulled a goal back for the hosts, but Eze restored their two-goal cushion with 17 minutes remaining, and they hung on despite Naouirou Ahamada receiving a second yellow card late on.
Wolves drop to 13th with defeat as Palace leapfrog them on goal difference into 12th position in the Premier League table, having enjoyed a resurgence under new boss Oliver Glasner.
The hot-streak continues for !
— Premier Leag…
Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu would sanction a transfer for Alex Teixeira, but insists the club have received no offers for the midfielder.
Teixeira has been linked with a move from the Ukrainian Premier League leaders to Premier League side Chelsea.
The 26-year-old has been at Shakhtar since 2010 and has helped the club to five league titles and three Ukrainian Cup successes.
And Lucescu told Shakhtar s official website: Teixeira and I are talked a lot in the press now. They are spreading rumours about us allegedly leaving Shakhtar. At the moment, Alex is Shakhtar s player.
We ll see in the summer; [for] now there s no point talking about it. This year, he needs to play so that he grows even more, despite the fact that Alex s level is very hi…
Kingsley Coman says speculation about Pep Guardiola s future will not affect the Bayern Munich squad ahead of their trip to Hannover in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The former Barcelona coach s contract with Bayern expires at the end of season and he will reportedly announce a decision about his future at the club after this weekend s encounter.
Several reports earlier this week suggested Guardiola has already told the Bavarians that he plans to move on come the end of the season, but neither of the parties involved has officially confirmed anything as of yet.
Coman though is adamant the uncertainty will not influence Bayern ahead of the match against Hannover.
I would be sad if Guardiola would leave Bayern. He is the best coach in the world for me. He ha…
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed the club s interest in Valencia CF striker Roberto Soldado, understands.
Villas-Boas is looking to bolster his attacking options ahead of next season, with Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe the only experienced strikers in Spurs first-team squad at the moment.
Soldado, who has a €30 million release clause in his current contract, is at the top of Villas-Boas summer wishlist, and rightfully so.
The Portuguese is also interested in highly-rated Brazil international striker Leandro Damião, but the 24-year-old ace appears to be on the verge of joining Russian Premier League giants Zenit St Petersburg in a deal worth £21.5 million.
Soldado, 28, has proven to be a goal-scoring …
Aaron Ramsey says Arsenal must get in Eden Hazard s face to stop him from inflicting damage in the FA Cup final.
Arsenal meet Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, Arsene Wenger s side bidding to salvage silverware from a season that saw them finish fifth in the Premier League, while the Blues chase a famous double.
The Gunners won 3-0 against Chelsea last September, but Antonio Conte s men inflicted revenge in a 3-1 Stamford Bridge win in February, Hazard scoring an impressive individual goal.
I think the way we started the [home] game in the first half was very good, Ramsey, who scored the winner in his side s 2014 FA Cup final victory over Hull City, said to Arsenal Player.
We won the game in the first half really. We were very quick, we counter-attacked w…
Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin says he has yet to receive any contact from Didier Deschamps over a possible call-up to the France squad.
The 24-year-old was sent off in the 2-2 derby draw with Tottenham on Saturday but has otherwise enjoyed an impressive season at the heart of Arsene Wenger s side.
Coquelin was part of the France Under-19 side which won the European Championship in 2010, but he has yet to earn a place within the senior set-up.
But while he admits it would be a privilege to be part of Euro 2016 on home soil in June and July this year, Coquelin insists his primary focus is on performing well at club level.
I m the kind of person who’s really focused on the club first, he told Arsenal Weekly. It s how you play at the club that will d…
Franck Ribery has posted a heartfelt message to farewell Arturo Vidal as the Chile international nears a move from Bayern Munich to Barcelona.
Vidal, 31, has played alongside Ribery at Bayern since swapping Juventus for the Allianz Arena in 2015, the pair winning the Bundesliga in each of their three seasons together in Germany.
A deal has been agreed to between Barca and Bayern and Vidal is set to pull on the famous Blaugrana shirt next season, should he successfully complete a medical at Camp Nou.
And veteran French forward Ribery will miss the energetic midfielder in Bavaria this season.
Hermano no sabes a que punto te voy a echar de menos! Para mi eres el mejor, un hombre de valores y principios. Estoy muy orgulloso de haber jugado a tu lado! Te des…
A change in formation follwoing Pep Guardiola s exit and a white lie from Xavi were factors in Cesc Fabregas leaving Barcelona for Chelsea in 2014.
A product of Barca s famed La Masia youth academy, Fabregas was plucked away by Arsenal before returning to Camp Nou in 2011 under Pep Guardiola.
The midfielder was chosen by Guardiola to aid the Catalan giants transition from a 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3 formation in order to make them more difficult to play against.
Fabregas was deployed in a free midfield role that often involved interchanging with star striker Lionel Messi, a position he relished.
What he [Guardiola] wanted to do is change formation. I think after three years playing at a fantastic level and winning many things, he felt the other teams were catch…